Feather of a Swan
by GentleRed
Summary: ((Yes, this has probably been done a million times, but whatever)) A cursed Emma Swan, working as a bounty hunter in Seattle needs a drink after a rough day. Inside the bar she meets a sassy and extremely attractive bartender..
1. Chapter 1

**((** **Authors note: due to lack of inspiration, I'm currently putting "Familiar, yet a complete stranger" on a little break. Better to write something that's good than half done, right? So, to make up for that, I'm putting a new spin on season seven of Once Upon A Time. What if a certain Savior was cursed too and walked into a certain bar and met a certain bartender?))**

 **Feathers of a swan**

 **Chapter 1:**

Emma Swan had had one hell of a day.

Being a bounty hunter wasn't a picnic, it included several hours of stakeout and various encounters with cold hearted assholes. Today had been no exception. She had spent hours stalking her prey (and freezing her ass off in the process) and once the final confrontation had happened, the guy had pulled a fucking gun on her. A _gun_. She hadn't exactly seen that one coming, but she was quite grateful she had taken the time to learn self defense. Not that it was very useful when someone had a gun, but she had succeeded in knocking the gun out of the guys hand.

She had barely made it out of there alive, and despite her tough appearance, she was pretty shaken by the incident.

A drink was exactly what she needed right now.

But having recently re-located from Boston to Seattle, Emma didn't really know any great places to have a drink.

After a good while of fruitless wandering around in the streets of Seattle, Emma finally swallowed all pride and asked a guy where she could find a bar.

The guy had been most helpful, and directed her to Roni's Bar. There she would find the best (and strongest) drinks in town, he had said. And a strong drink was exactly what Emma needed right now. So she thanked him and walked in the direction he had showed her.

It didn't take her very long to reach her destination, and she eagerly pushed the door open and walked inside Roni's Bar. It seemed like quite the place with live music and people everywhere. No doubt it was the most popular place in town.

Emma shrugged off her red leather jacket and found a spot close to the bar. She intended on drinking a lot tonight, so no reason to make it difficult for the bartender. Best to stay close to where the alcohol was.

Emma pushed her long blonde hair away from her face and drummed her fingers against the counter. She waited, but her patience wasn't anything to talk about after the day she just lived through. She just wanted something to drink, and fast please.

,,Is it possible to get something to drink or what?" she asked impatiently, and sent her golden curls tumbling over her shoulder.

,,What's the rush, sweetheart?" a sultry voice replied.

Emma looked up and came face to face with a woman standing behind the counter.

Emma was in a terrible mood, but she wasn't blind. There was no doubt that this woman looked good with soft, dark curls brushing against her well-sculpted cheekbones, and her dark eyes, now slightly squinting at Emma. The woman was wearing dark skinny jeans, a band t-shirt, and a ragged denim jacket with sleeves that had been rolled up to her elbows. Emma immediately noticed the feather tattoo on her left wrist.

,,Well? Are you gonna order or are you gonna keep on staring at me?" the woman half chuckled.

Emma finally tore her gaze away from the woman. ,,Uh, a beer. And two shots."

She was gonna need that to get through this night.

,,That bad, huh?" the bartender said. She didn't stay and wait for an answer. She simply sauntered away to find the alcohol Emma asked for.

Emma rubbed her temples in an attempt to take the edge of a throbbing headache. The alcohol would probably only add to the headache, but what the hell. She deserved this after the crappy day she just had. Having a gun to your head wasn't exactly a joke. It had actually been terrifying, and Emma just wanted several drinks and then go home and crash on her bed.

The loud music in the bar didn't exactly help in the matter either. If she hadn't been desperate for good shots, Emma would probably have settled for cheap beer from the supermarket and gone home instead.

After something that felt like seven million years or so, the bartender returned. With shots and a beer.

,,Here you go, impatient," she chuckled as she placed the drinks in front of Emma.

,,My name is not "impatient"," Emma joked dryly and downed the first shot.

,,No? It fits you perfectly," the bartender shrugged.

Emma narrowed her green eyes at her. She had some nerve to tease her like that, but then again, she had no idea what kind of day Emma had had today.

Emma downed the next shot and took a swig of her beer. Not the best idea, the taste didn't really suit each other very well. But it sure as hell did its job, and Emma felt ever so relieved when her brain started to go slightly fuzzy already.

,,More shots," she ordered, encouraged by how well this was working.

The bartender quickly placed two more shots in front of her.

,,You have no idea what I have been through today," Emma said between swigs of beer.

,,No I haven't. Wanna tell me?" the bartender asked and raised an eyebrow.

She really was quite attractive when she leaned against the counter like that, Emma thought. Wait what? Damn, she was already a bit drunk.

,,Somebody pulled a gun on me," she said and took a deep swig of the beer.

,,Really? You don't say," the bartender said, and Emma got a distinct feeling that she didn't believe a word she said.

,,It's true," she insisted. ,,I'm not lying."

,,Well, I'm glad you survived the incident, dear. In fact, I'll drink to it," she pulled out a bottle of beer from behind the counter.

,,To your survival," she said almost solemnly and clinked the bottle with Emma's shot glass.

,,My survival," Emma nodded and downed the shot.

The bartender took a swig of the bottle and wiped her mouth with her thumb. How the hell did she manage to make _that_ look attractive, Emma wondered. Maybe the bartender was one of those blessed people who always looked attractive no matter the situation.

Emma continued to drink heavily throughout the night, and soon she didn't bother do count how many shots she had. Enough to make her brain go all foggy and her speech to be slightly slurred as well. The more she drank, the more she stared at the bartender behind the counter. Was she aware over how _good_ she looked? Emma asked herself. Who was she kidding, of course she was. Otherwise she wouldn't be like this. All bubbly and chatty. Or maybe it was Emma who was chatty.

,,You know, my name is not Impatient," she slurred and took another deep swig of a new beer.

The bartender looked indulgent at her. ,,What _is_ your name then, honey?"

,,Emma," the blonde slurred. ,,My name is Emma."

,,Emma," the bartender said and looked like she tasted a new dish. Then she laughed.

,,What's wrong with that?" Emma challenged.

,,Nothing, dear. It's a fine name. Just not what I expected, that's all."

,,What did you expect then?"

,,Something less.. princess-y," the bartender said and scrunched up her nose.

,,You don't think I'm a princess?"

,,Do you _want_ to be a princess?" the bartender shot back.

Emma considered it. ,,Nah, I guess not. I don't think I'm the princess-y type."

,,No, you don't really strike me as the princess-y type either," the bartender chuckled.

,,Is that an insult?" Emma babbled and gurgled down another swig of beer.

,,No dear. An observation," the bartender corrected.

For some reason, Emma found that incredibly funny, and she laughed loudly. So did the bartender, whether she laughed with Emma or _at_ Emma remained unclear, but she had a nice laugh. Deep and velvety and rich. Like.. chocolate. Dark chocolate.

Soon everything began to blur. Emma had no longer any idea of what she was saying or doing, she just knew that these colorful drinks tasted very good. And then she became tired. Not just "I need a short power nap" tired, but "dying from exhaustion" tired. This chair was fairly comfortable. Of course she could sleep here, with her head resting on her arms. Of course she could.

Five minutes later, or so it seemed, she was shaken awake.

,,Hey? Princess?"

Emma looked up and stared into a pair of chocolate brown eyes. The bartender again.

She had her hands on the blonde's back, and it took a second before Emma realized that she was no longer sitting down. In fact, she was standing up, supported by the bartender.

,,What is it?" Emma grumbled, extremely dissatisfied with being woken up like that.

,,You can't sleep here. The bar is closing. Come on, I called you a cab."

Emma looked around. Her vision was blurry, but the bar was in fact empty. She was the only one left.

,,Come on," the bartender repeated.

Emma didn't know how. Her legs weren't working as they should, and getting out of the bar seemed impossible.

The bartender chuckled and draped one of Emma's arms over her shoulder. Then she wrapped an arm around Emma's waist and half dragged her out of the bar.

Emma shuddered and it had nothing to do with drunkenness. It had something to do with how close the attractive bartender was to her right now.

But either the bartender didn't pick up on it, or she was too polite to comment on it. She escorted Emma out of the bar and into a nearby cab.

Emma all but stumbled into the cab and giggled like a mad person. She thought she saw the bartender roll her eyes, but she wasn't sure.

,,Is she gonna be alright?" the cab driver asked.

,,I think so. She just has to sleep it out. Where do you wanna go, sweetheart?" the bartender asked.

Emma quickly muttered her address and vaguely heard the bartender passing it on to the cab driver.

,,Alright, I hope you won't regret this too much in the morning," the bartender said as she closed the car door.

,,Thank you," Emma slurred.

,,You're welcome. You better drive before she passes out," she said to the bartender.

Emma scrambled into a sitting position and the last thing she saw before the cab rounded a corner, was the bartender standing on the street..

 **To Be Continued?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Feather of a swan:**

 **Chapter 2:**

Emma felt absolutely horrible when she woke up late the following day. Her tongue was peeled to the roof of her dry mouth, her head was pounding, and she had only faint recollection about last night.

The blonde slowly got out of bed and cradled her head in her hands. Everything hurt, not only her head. It was like she had spent a night in her dryer, and not in her warm bed. How did she even get home last night?

Emma frowned as she tried to remember. Remembering hurt, she quickly found out. Her brain was in no state to _think_. But nevertheless, she tried her best to remember.

And then it very slowly came back to her. The beer. The- oh god, why?- shots. And the dark eyed and rather attractive bartender.

Then the faint memories about being escorted into a cab entered Emma's mind. Who had helped her into the cab?

Oh.

Right.

The _bartender_ had. What a way to leave an ever-lasting impression on her. Just another drunken idiot who needed help to get home to bed.

Why _was_ it even so important to make an impression on the bartender? Emma didn't even know her. Didn't even know her _name_. So why this immediate interest? Sure, she wasn't the only attractive woman in Seattle, but yet there was something about her. Had it been her dark eyes? Her cheeky smile? Perhaps the feather tattoo on her wrist.

It didn't take Emma much to realize that she was sweet on a woman she barely knew. On a woman whose name she didn't knew.

Typical her. With all the luck she had had so far, it was oh so typical for her to be interested in someone who didn't even knew she existed. Oh Emma, when will you learn?

Emma was in dire need of a shower and she stumbled out of her bedroom and into the shower. Was barely aware enough to take of her clothes. Her thoughts were still focused on the night before. And all the nonsense she probably had babbled. Just another drunk costumer and nothing more. Damn it.

Her apartment here in Seattle wasn't anything to write home about, and the shower didn't work as it should. The water was cold. It always was. But maybe that was a good thing today. A shower was what she needed to wake up.

It was when she had shrugged on a bathrobe and wobbled back into the bedroom, that she realized that her red leather jacket was missing. Emma searched through the whole damn apartment, but there was absolutely no sign of it.

Damn it. She needed that jacket. It was her armor. Had been for a long while now. She couldn't possibly get by without it, and buying a new one seemed unthinkable. Where the hell was it? Emma frowned (which hurt). Was it possible that she had forgotten it in the bar last night? Yes. Yes, it was. She saw a faint memory of herself, shrugging the jacket of and hanging it over a chair. Maybe, just maybe, if she was lucky, her jacket was still at the bar. Emma considered to call Roni's Bar and ask for it, but decided to just give it a shot. At least this gave her an excuse to go and see the beautiful bartender again, and right now that seemed more important than the red leather jacket.

So, she quickly dried herself off and slipped into a pair of jeans a tight, white tank top. As usual, she didn't know what to do with her long golden hair, so she simply let it hang loosely down her back and air dry.

She's about to reach for her red leather jacket, but then she remembered that it isn't here. Stupid Emma.

Emma slams the door to her lousy apartment and climbs into her yellow bug. She isn't sure she even should be driving, maybe she's still a little drunk, but what the hell. Rather breaking the law a little than risking her leather jacket getting tossed.

The drive to Roni's Bar isn't very long, and Emma felt slightly embarrassed. She could very well have _walked_ home yesterday.

She exited the car and pushed the door to the bar open. It's quite early, but luckily the bar is already open.

The bar is almost completely empty when she enters. There's only one person present. The dark eyed bartender.

She looked up and pushed a curly lock of hair behind her ear when Emma approached.

Once again, Emma found herself getting affected by the beautiful woman in front of her. Was she aware over the effect she had on people?

The bartender grinned. ,,Impatient Emma."

,,Emma. Just Emma," Emma corrected.

,,Alright, Emma, just Emma. What can I do for you?" she leaned against the counter once more.

 _I don't know, what_ _can_ _you do for me? Wait, what? Where the fuck did that come from_?

,,Uh.. I left my.. red.. my jacket here last night," Emma stammered.

,,Oh right. So you did. One moment."

She disappeared into a room behind the bar, and Emma waited, shifted her weight from one leg to the other. Why the hell was she so nervous? What was _wrong_ with her? Was a pair of dark eyes really enough to make her knees buckle and her words going gibberish. No, she was probably still a little drunk. Yes. That was probably it.

,,Here you go."

Emma's train of thoughts was interrupted by the bartender who returned with her red leather jacket.

Emma reached out to take it, but at that moment, the bartender accidentally dropped the garment to the floor.

Both women bent down to retrieve the jacket, and their fingertips brushed against each other.

Emma blinked. She thought she felt _something_ when their fingers touched.

,,Have we met before?" she blurted out.

The bartender sniggered. ,,I don't think so. I doubt I would forget meeting you."

,,What's your name?" Emma pressed. She was certain she had met the bartender before somewhere.

,,Roni."

Roni. It suited her. She looked like a Roni with her ripped jeans and leopard shirt and ragged denim jacket.

,,You alright?" Roni asked and raised an eyebrow.

That only made her even more attractive. ,,Yes. I'm.. fine. I think."

,,You think?" Roni echoed. ,,Should I be worried, Emma, just Emma?"

,,Uh no. I'll be fine."

,,Good. Any chance you're stopping by the bar sometimes?"

 _Did it matter to Roni whether she was here or not?_ ,,Well, I'm here right now, aren't I?"

,,Touché," Roni laughed. ,,But I meant for doing something else than just collecting your lost stuff."

,,Maybe I'll stop by sometimes this week," Emma said. She could do that. Would definitely do that.

,,Great. The more costumers the merrier," Roni smiled and sauntered back behind the bar where she started preparing for tonight.

Emma knew it was probably time to leave. She couldn't just keep standing here and staring at Roni even though it was awfully tempting.

,,Thanks again for holding on to the jacket."

,,Sure. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to it. It's a nice jacket."

Emma smiled in agreement and turned around. She had just put her hand on the doorknob and was about to leave the bar when Roni spoke up:

,,Do you have a last name, Emma, just Emma?"

,,Swan," Emma said. ,,Emma Swan."

,,Swan," Roni repeated and once again looked like she was tasting the name. ,,Very nice."

,,Thank you."

Emma put her hand on the doorknob once more and pushed the door open. And as she left the bar, she heard Roni say:

,,See you later, miss Swan."

To Be Continued?


	3. Chapter 3

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 3:**

She had to see her again.

Emma was certain of that. Normally, she wasn't one to fall for the first and the best she saw, her time with Neal had taught her as much.

But this, this was something different. There was something about Roni that just made Emma's body go warm, her head fuzzy, and her word stupid. It was ridiculous, really. A grown woman acting like a stupid teenager because of a pair of dark eyes. But she couldn't help it. She wondered if Roni had felt that electricity when their fingertips had brushed against each other, or it was just Emma who had picked up on it.

And then there had been the way she had called her "Emma, just Emma" and "miss Swan". Nobody _ever_ called her "miss Swan". Emma had always thought it sounded stupid and way too formal, but the warm and sultry way Roni had said it, sounded just right.

Emma couldn't quite figure out whether Roni just was genuinely nice towards her, or was flirting with her. Maybe she was like this with every customer who walked into her bar.

Either way, there was only one way to find out. She had to go back to the bar. And she had to do it tonight. She had been swamped with work this past week, and her head hadn't been in it at all. Her brain seemed to be focusing on one thing only.

Roni.

It really was very strange. She didn't know the first thing about this woman. Only her name and that she owned a bar, and nothing else. Maybe she was already seeing someone.

Emma stopped her pacing up and down her living room floor and swallowed thickly. Of course Roni was seeing someone. Why wouldn't she? An attractive woman like her, of course somebody had already made a move.

That thought almost took away Emma's courage completely. Why waste time on a woman who was probably already taken?

But yet, the pull toward the bar and its owner seemed to win over her lack of courage. She just _had_ to see her again. Even if it was only to apologize for getting so drunk she couldn't even walk into a cab on her own.

Emma quickly changed out of the dress she had worn to trick the guy she had been hunting. She didn't care much for dresses anyway. Instead she slipped on a pair of jeans, her lace-up boots and her white tank top. The red leather jacket was added lastly as the finishing touch. The golden hair got a quick brushing and then she was ready.

Well, as ready as she would be. Sure, Emma knew she was good looking, but what did it matter when she was sweet on someone who most likely was already taken and way out of her league?

Emma shook her head once. No more of this nonsense, she decided. She was going to see Roni, and her messed up thoughts weren't gonna stop her. period.

She spun around on her heels and left the cold living room.

The chilled Seattle weather was warmer than inside her tiny apartment. She could probably have sprung for something more expensive (and warmer), but she didn't count of staying long in Seattle. She never stayed long anywhere. Seattle was her ninth home since she had turned seventeen and got released from the foster system.

As she walked towards Roni's Bar, she accidentally bumped into a guy in the street.

,,Excuse me," she said and glanced quickly at the man. He had short, dark hair and very blue eyes. And the was wearing a police uniform.

He didn't answer either. He simply shot her a look and walked in the opposite direction of her.

,,Rude," Emma muttered. He could at least have accepted her apology instead of walking away like that. But apparently, talking nicely to people weren't customary in Seattle. A crass contrast to Tallahassee, where people had been nice and talkative towards her.

Emma shook her head and quickly forgot all about the rude man as she continued her walk towards Roni's Bar. As opposed to the last time she was here, it was rather late at night, and it sounded like the party had already started in there.

Emma opened the door to Roni's Bar and went inside. The place was indeed packed with people. Some dancing, some occupying the tables here and there.

Emma quickly scanned the room. Where was she? It was difficult seeing properly in this smoke filled room, and at first Emma couldn't see her, but then, after blinking a couple of times, the blonde spotted her.

She stood leaned against the counter again, and- Emma's heart plummeted towards her stomach- chatted briskly with a redheaded woman, who Emma instantly hated on the spot.

Was this redhead Roni's girlfriend? They sure looked like they were having a great deal of fun. Roni threw her head back and laughed at something the woman had said, followed by a friendly pat on her arm.

Emma's mood went from bad to worse as she sat down close to the counter. Why did she always pine after the wrong people? And more importantly, why was she yearning after a complete stranger?

But five minutes later or so, Roni left the woman and went over to a newly arrived guy instead.

Emma stared. Roni did exactly the same thing, leant against the counter, threw her head back and flirted a bit with the guy, just as she had just done it with the woman. Maybe she was trying to coax them into ordering something expensive. Well, that method would for sure work on Emma. She would gladly buy every drink on the whole damn menu if it meant that Roni would bat those dark eyes at her just once.

Suddenly, Roni looked up and spotted Emma sitting on a high chair at the counter. She left the guy to himself, and came sauntering over to the blonde instead.

,,Miss Swan," she said pleasantly and leaned against the counter. ,,To what _do_ I owe the pleasure?"

,,I needed a drink," Emma said lamely.

,,Oh. And here I was, thinking that it was my delightful company that pulled you back here," Roni laughed.

Those words would have delighted Emma if she hadn't just heard Roni say them to the redhead.

,,So what will it be, miss Swan?" Roni said and handed Emma a list over all the drinks the bar had to offer. ,,What's your weakness?"

 _Right now, I think my weakness is you_. ,,Whiskey," Emma said and pointed to the first drink she saw.

,,Excellent choice," Roni complimented and sauntered away to find the blonde a drink.

Emma sighed deeply. How could she be feeling lightheaded when she hadn't even had a drink yet?

,,Here you go honey," Roni said as she returned with Emma's drink.

Emma looked at the feather tattoo on Roni's wrist. ,,I like your tattoo."

,,I like _yours_ ," Roni said and glanced toward the small flower tattoo on Emma's wrist.

Emma blinked surprised. Her tattoo was fairly small and almost always hidden beneath either a jacket sleeve or a watch. But yet Roni had noticed it. Dared Emma to hope that she had looked more thoroughly at her than Emma thought?

,,Thank you," Emma said and took a gulp of the whiskey.

,,Can I see?" Roni asked nonchalantly.

,,See what?" Emma asked confused.

,,Your tattoo. Can I see?" Roni specified.

,,Oh. Sure." Emma stretched out her hand towards Roni.

Roni leaned against the counter again and took Emma's slender wrist between her fingers.

Emma tried her best not to swallow too audible as Roni examined her tattoo with her fingertips. That strange energy crackled between them once more. It was like Emma's skin burned under the touch.

But, just as quickly as Roni had taken her wrist between her fingers, she let go again.

,,So pretty. I like it," she smiled at Emma.

,,Thank you," Emma repeated.

,,So, miss Swan, you may not remember it, but during your first visit here at the bar you mentioned that you travel around a lot."

Emma couldn't remember she had said that at any point, but she probably had though. Her drunken self was a babbler.

,,That's right, I do."

,,Any chance you're planning on staying in Seattle?" Roni asked and raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

 _Was there any chance she sounded just a bit hopeful_?

,,I, uh.. I haven't decided yet," Emma said vaguely.

,,You should," Roni said firmly. ,,Seattle isn't that bad. The city got lots of things to offer."

 _Yes, so I see_..

 **To Be Continued..**


	4. Chapter 4

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 4:**

Emma didn't get intimidated easily normally. Nor did she have any problem with flirting with the object of her affection, whether it was a man or a woman. But there was something about that bartender that made her knees buckle and her voice tremble with.

And she couldn't for the life of her find out why.

Well, the bartender was attractive, that much was obvious. And she seemed smart and confident. Exactly the type of person Emma would fall for.

But Emma had the nastiest feeling that this particular person was way out of her league. A pretty, flirtatious woman. Why shouldn't she be seeing somebody already?

And yet Emma couldn't get that smile Roni had send her out of her head. Those dark eyes and those perfect white teeth.

Maybe she really was going mad, Emma thought to herself. The few of her friends she had told about Roni seemed to think so, and they found great pleasure in teasing her about her newfound interest for going to the bar.

And to the bar is exactly where she's going tonight. The hell of it, she's going to see Roni again.

But her intention of going alone is quickly ruined by Anna, a friend of hers who insisted upon tagging along and getting a glimpse of the _famous_ Roni. Emma had agreed, but silently grumbled and complained. The whole point of it was the she wanted to go alone and hopefully get to talk to Roni. But that would be impossible with Anna around. Anna was a babbler. As opposite to Emma she incredibly easily found new friends, and Emma was positive that Roni would be taken in by her bubbly, outgoing personality.

But it was too late to back out. She had promised Anna. So, when the clock struck nine, Emma want to Anna's apartment to pick her up. Emma's heart immediately sank when Anna opened the door. Emma had never been attracted to her, but she _was_ a very pretty woman, with her long dark hair, high cheekbones and deep blue eyes.

Anna didn't notice Emma's discomfort and chatted happily as they walked towards Roni's Bar. When they reached it, the first thing Emma saw was a huge sign on the door saying: "Pool night".

,,Great. I love playing pool," Anna said briskly. ,,Let's go in."

Emma silently followed her into the bar. It was, as usually, packed with people, and Emma had to elbow a guy who bumped into her. On purpose.

They sit down at an empty table, and the blonde scans the room. No sign of Roni until..

Emma swallowed thickly. Of course Roni was playing pool, of course she was. And of course she looked ridiculously attractive doing it. The way she leant over the pool table when she was aiming was just...

,,Em? You okay?" Anna asked.

,,Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." Emma quickly said.

Anna followed Emma's gaze, and the brunette grinned cheekily. ,,Oh, so _that's_ Roni. Now I see what all the fuzz is about."

,,Keep your voice down." Emma warned. God forbid Roni overheard them talking about her like a couple of teenagers.

Anna sniggered and nudged Emma. ,,Boy, you really got it bad for her."

,,I said shut up!" Emma barked.

Anna laughed again and put a hand on the blonde's arm, but Emma couldn't see what was so funny.

It didn't take long before Roni noticed them, and she promptly abandoned the game and came swanning over to them.

,,Miss Swan," she said pleasantly and pushed a curly lock behind her ear. ,,And.. Who's your friend?"

,,I'm Anna," Anna said and flashed Roni a smile.

,,Pleasure. Now what can I get you two?"

They quickly ordered their drinks, and Roni disappeared behind the bar to make them.

,,She's cute," Anna commented.

Emma snorted. She wouldn't exactly have used the word _cute_. Roni wasn't _cute_. Well she _was_ , but not cute-cute. More like.. crazily attractive. And the way she moved around in the bar. It reminded Emma of a.. lioness. Yes, a lioness. That was exactly what Roni reminded of. A lioness sauntering around and watching her prey.

And right now, Emma was most definitely a prey. A deer caught in the headlights.

,,Have you considered talking to her?" Anna asked nonchalantly.

,,I _have_ talked to her." and touched her fingertips.

,,That's not what I meant," Anna rolled her eyes. ,,Really talked to her."

,,I'm not sure what to say," Emma admitted. ,,I feel like an idiot every time I open my mouth when she's around."

,,Ha! Oh, Emma. You definitely got it bad. Incredible. And you barely know her." Anna gave Emma's hand a squeeze.

,,Here you go," their conversation was cut short by Roni who came back with their drinks.

,,Thank you," Emma smiled at her, and Roni returned the smile, but then her gaze flickered and turned to the table. And Anna's hand still holding on to Emma's.

,,Enjoy your evening," Roni said and disappeared behind the counter again.

It didn't take Emma long to put two and two together. _Argh, shit. No, no, no. You've got it all wrong. It's not what it looks like_.

Anna however, didn't notice anything, and chatted on as she sipped her drink. But Emma felt kinda horrible the entire time. It was clear as day that Roni assumed that Anna and she was together. And that's why she backed off so quickly with a simple "enjoy your evening" instead of the flirting remarks she had thrown at Emma the last time she was there.

 _Damn it. Damn it. Damn it_!

Emma felt the urge to slap her forehead. She should have listened to her instincts and told Anna not to come with her. shit.

She tried her best to enjoy the evening anyway, and she chatted on with Anna despite the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

,,Emma? You alright?" Anna asked and raised an eyebrow.

,,Yeah, I'm fine.

A couple of drinks later, Anna checked her phone and groaned something about having to get up early the next morning, so it would probably be better if she…

,,Just go, this one is on me," Emma assured.

,,Are you sure?"

,,Of course."

,,Thank you Emma. See you soon, alright?"

,,Yeah." But they both knew some time would pass before they would see each other again. Anna was often busy with her work, and Emma was a bit of a loner. She had trouble with letting people getting past her walls.

Anna gave Emma a quick hug and then left the bar. Now it was up to Emma to pay the bill. Something she often found herself doing whenever she and Anna hung out.

Emma looked around. The bar was emptying quickly, and it didn't take long before she and Roni were the only ones left in there.

Roni glanced towards the empty bar and then back to Emma. ,,I don't mean to rush you sweetheart, but the bar is closing soon."

,,Oh. Right. Let me just pay the bill then," Emma muttered and stepped up to the counter.

Roni seemed reserved as she handed Emma the change. ,,Well, I guess I'll see you next time, miss Swan."

Emma nodded and walked towards the door, but she changed her mind the last minute and blurted out: ,,Anna's not my girlfriend."

 _Did I really just say that_?!

She half expected Roni to either laugh in her face or ask her what the hell she was talking about, but Roni smirked a little as she put on her denim jacket.

,,No? Who _is_ your girlfriend then, miss Swan?"

That voice. That damn sultry voice again. Emma's throat felt oddly constricted and somewhat dry as she muttered: ,,Nobody."

Roni's smirk grew deeper at that. ,,Why?" she asked simply.

,,Why what?"

,,Why don't you have a girlfriend?" she précised.

,,I.. I guess I've never met someone I liked."

,,Never?" Roni asked and leaned against the counter again.

,,Well.. at least not in the places where I lived before I came to Seattle."

,,And here in Seattle?" Roni almost purred.

,,I…I," _incredible. I can't get the words out_. _Pull yourself together, Emma_!

But the words refused to come out, and Emma feared she looked like a damn fool the way she stood there opening her mouth without saying anything.

Roni's smile deepened and she came slinking around the counter, very much like a lioness stalking its prey. And Emma was a very willing prey right now. She was completely at the denim-clad bartender's mercy.

And Roni clearly knew and enjoyed the effect she had on Emma. She crept closer to the blonde until she was so close that Emma could have kissed her.

And god, how Emma wanted to kiss her. Her breath hitched in her throat and she leant forward slightly.

And then they were interrupted by the screeching sound of Emma's phone.

Emma blinked, completely disorientated for a second. And then came the disappointment when Roni grinned and crept back behind the desk.

,,I think your phone is ringing, miss Swan," she slyly pointed out.

,,What? Oh, right," Emma felt tempted to curse loudly as she answered the phone call. It wasn't even an important call. Just a work thing. Nothing more.

When Emma looked up again, Roni had disappeared out of the bar through a back door.

 _Shit. Why did her stupid phone have to ring_?

 **To Be Continued..**


	5. Chapter 5

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 5:**

" _Oh miss Swan, if you only knew what I'm capable of," Roni came closer and slammed Emma up against the wall, wrist pinned above her head. Emma moaned as Roni kissed a spot on her neck the blonde never even knew she had. Roni suddenly freed Emma's wrist and grabbed onto the edge of her white tanktop._

" _Arms up, miss Swan.."_

Emma jerked awake with a sharp gasp. She had rugged her tanktop up in her sleep, and one of her wrists were indeed still above her head. She sat up in her bed and pushed her knees up until she could rest her forehead on them.

Another dream. Emma inhaled and exhaled very slowly and tried to grasp the fact that she still was in her own apartment, and not pinned to the wall in the bar.

 _It was just a dream_. Emma got a foul taste in her mouth. So this was what disappointment tasted like. It had all been so real. So very, _very_ real.

And this wasn't the first dream either. Roni kept visiting her dreams in the most sinful and delicious of ways.

Emma caught herself wishing that she hadn't woke up when she did. Now that she had made a giant fool of herself by missing the real deal a few days ago, she was grateful that her brain came up with these kind of dreams.

Oh, why hadn't she kissed Roni when she had the chance? Why hadn't she just ignored her damn phone and grabbed Roni and kissed her instead? Emma silently cursed herself. Something she had found herself to be doing a lot these days. She feared that she had screwed up and missed her chance completely. And now the result was these insufferable yet wonderful wet dreams starring her favorite bartender.

The blonde found herself wondering Roni really was like this in the bedroom. Dominating and a bit controlling.

Pff.

She hadn't as much as _kissed_ her yet, and here she was, wondering how Roni was in bed. _Pull yourself together, Emma_.

Emma tumbled out of bed and ran a hand through her unruly curls. She really needed to turn her focus elsewhere. Otherwise she would never be able to concentrate on her work. She opened the fridge and found half a bear claw. That had to do for breakfast today.

Still munching on the very dry bear claw she dragged the papers about her newest prey over to her.

Prey. _Lioness_.

No, stop it. You are not thinking about Roni right now.

 _No, I'll just wait until later. When I'm in bed_.

God damnit. Emma pinched the bridge of her nose. Her mind really wasn't working with her this particular morning. Maybe she was developing split personality? Or maybe Roni had simply bewitched her. Her and her stupid, intense dark eyes. And her tight jeans. And her cleavage in those tanktops and denim jackets.

,,I give up," Emma muttered to the empty apartment. She most definitely needed a shower. An ice cold one.

A very cold shower later, the sticky remains of sweat had been washed away from Emma's body. And she felt a bit better. But only because she had done unspeakable things to herself under the ice cold water.

Emma trotted back into her "too small" bedroom and put on a pair of jeans, a white shirt and her red leather jacket. Her eyes got freshened up by a light dap of mascara and then she tugged a beanie over her still wet hair. She knew she should probably blow dry it, but thanks to her scandalous dream, she was once again running late.

Seattle was unusually cold and Emma shuddered as she climbed into her yellow bug.

She stopped by a gas station on her way to work. She might be running late, but she would need coffee to get through this day. Normally, she would have chosen hot chocolate instead of coffee, but this was an emergency. She was in desperate need of coffee.

Emma came close to choking on thin air as the girl behind the counter handed her the coffee. Dark eyes, loose curls and clad in denim. It took Emma a second glance to realize that it wasn't Roni. Just her doppelgänger.

 _Incredible_ , Emma thought to herself. The only time she stops by another gas station that the one she normally stops by, she of course runs into Roni's doppelgänger. There goes the showers calming effect. Good luck with ever concentrating today.

She should have said "fuck it" to everything today and stayed at home instead.

Yep, most definitely bewitched by a dark eyed bartender with the most beautiful eyes in the world.

The job did little to keep her entertained. Of course it had required a certain amount of concentration when she hacked her way into her preys computer to see what he was up to. It didn't take much longer than two minutes to find out that the guy she was hunting knew they were onto him and was hiding at what he thought was a secluded place.

 _Well, not anymore_ , Emma thought to herself as she turned the yellow bug around and drove to the filthiest, darkest corner of Seattle.

Emma whistled quietly to herself when she arrived at the destination. Sure, the blonde had seen a lot of filthy places in her lifetime, but this definitely took the cake as they say. A block of concrete buildings placed near a filthy alley where the streets swam with trash. Not exactly a location she would have chosen if she was hiding. Hell, she would prefer to be banged up in jail as opposed to having to hide here.

Emma tapped the wheel and wished she had some more coffee. She had a feeling that this was going to be a long night, _and_ the heater in her car was broken. With the luck she had, she was probably gonna catch pneumonia or something like that.

Several uneventful hours passed. Emma kept her gaze fixated on the grey concrete building.

Absolutely nothing happened.

Emma sighed heavily and looked at her watch. She had already been here for 3 hours. Maybe the guy had changed location or something like that. It didn't seem like he was in the building, and honestly, she was getting tired of freezing her ass out in here. She decided to give it an hour more and then she would call it a day and get the hell out of this filthy alley.

One hour later she was equally as bored and her ass felt like a block of ice. _That's it_ , Emma decided. She was definitely going home now. Obviously the guy had changed location. Smart man. He definitely had more brain than Emma had expected him to have. Well, if he wanted to play hide and seek with her, so be it. She was good at her job, and a master of the whole cat and mouse game. She would get the guy in the end. She always did.

Emma started the car and was just about to turn the yellow bug around when she heard a noise.

 _What the hell was that_? She asked herself and listened. More rustling and bustling coming from the alley.

Emma got out of the car and decided to go and investigate. Just in case the guy somehow had snuck past her and was trying to get away from her. She carefully crept closer to the alley where she had heard the noise. More scrabbling around. Maybe it wasn't a person. It sounded more like a cat or something like that.

Emma took a step closer to the brick wall and whistled quietly in an attempt to lure the putative cat out.

,,Here kitty, kitty, kitty," she coaxed and whistled again.

 _The cat whistled back_.

Okay, so it wasn't a cat. Cat's don't whistle. It occurred to Emma, that maybe the guy knew she was onto him and had a couple of "buddies" waiting for her in the alley. The blonde reached inside her leather jacket and found her gun. She raised the gun. She wasn't about to be ambushed, but on the other hand, she was one and if there was several of them it would be fairly easy for one of them to knock the gun out of her hand.

,,Who's there?" she half yelled and raised the gun further. ,,I'm warning you, I'm armed!"

No answer. Just quiet whistling.

So somebody was playing a game with her. Emma took a step closer. ,,I have a gun. I'm giving you to three to come out and then I'm gonna fire." She waited. Absolutely nothing. ,,One," she counted.

Silence.

,,Two," she warned. ,,Thr.."

She didn't get the chance to count further before she heard someone stumble, and the next second Roni came sauntering out from behind the brick wall.

 _Roni_. Emma instantly lowered the gun and felt a blush rise in her cheeks. Had she just threatened to actually fucking _shoot_ Roni? Nice move, Emma. Bravo.

,,Are you always this hostile?" Roni commented nonchalantly and fished out a pack of cigarettes from her leather jacket.

,,Shit I'm sorry. I thought you were somebody else," Emma said and fumbled the gun back in her jacket.

,,I surrender," Roni quipped and raised both of her hands above her head in mock fear.

That motion took Emma straight back to the dream she was having this morning, and the blonde to her horror how her neck flushed and her cheeks grew hot.

,,What are you doing here, miss Swan?" Roni drawled and lit a cigarette.

,,Stakeout. What are _you_ doing here? You don't live here, do you?" _please don't say you live here. You don't deserve to live in a place like this hell hole_.

,,God no," Roni laughed. ,,But I happen to have a friend who live here. I was visiting her."

 _Her_. Emma instantly felt jealous even though Roni had said "friend", not _girl_ friend.

,,It's a bit late to walk around alone in an area like this," Emma pointed out.

,,I may not be armed, but I can assure you I can look after myself. Self-defense classes," Roni shrugged and took a drag on the cigarette.

,,Oh. Right."

Roni took another drag on the cigarette and gazed towards the sky. Suddenly she wobbled a bit on her feet.

,,Are you alright?" Emma asked and raised an eyebrow.

,,Yeah, I'm good," Roni giggled, and it suddenly occurred to Emma that the brunette maybe wasn't completely sober tonight. That would explain the whistling.

,,Had a bit too much?" Emma asked knowingly.

,,I might have had one too many," Roni admitted carelessly.

,,Do you live nearby?"

,,No."

,,Is anybody gonna come and pick you up?"

,,Nope."

,,How are you planning on getting home?" Emma pressed.

,,Walk." She wobbled on her feet again. ,,Woops."

,,Yeah, that's not gonna work," Emma chuckled. ,,I'm done for tonight, I'll take you home."

 _Bold suggestion, Emma. Are you sure you're only doing it to be nice_?

Roni raised an eyebrow. ,,I can't ask you to do that."

,,You didn't. I offered." _Remember she's drunk. Don't do anything that could be misunderstood_.

,,Are you sure?"

,,Of course. Wouldn't have offered it otherwise. Now come on," Emma coaxed.

Roni wiped the cigarette on her heel and snipped it into a nearby bin. Then she sauntered over to Emma, but unfortunately, she stumbled halfway there and it was up to Emma to grab her arm and preventing her from falling over.

,,Oops. Sorry," Roni laughed.

,,It's fine," Emma assured and tried not to get affected by how close she was to her.

Getting Roni into the yellow bug was easier than Emma had expected. The brunette was surprisingly helpful in putting one foot in front of the other, and it didn't take long before she was seated securely in the front seat.

,,Seatbelt," Emma said a bit strained as Roni raised her arms above her head again and stretched.

,,I have no idea what I'm doing," Roni laughed after a few seconds of fumbling with the seatbelt. ,,Can you help me?"

,,Uh.. sure," Emma swallowed as she reached across Roni's waist and helped her buckle her seatbelt.

,,Thank you, Em-ma." Roni drawled.

Drunk or not, it warmed Emma's heart hearing her calling her by her first name instead of "miss Swan".

Emma started the yellow bug, and Roni hummed absentmindedly.

,,So? Where to?" the blonde questioned.

Roni chuckled and muttered something that sounded like "to the stars", and that really didn't help Emma's flushed state.

,,Where do you live?" the blonde tried again.

,,Wha'? Oh, I have an apartment above the bar," Roni said with a slight slur.

,,Right." Emma turned the yellow bug around and drove towards Roni's Bar.

,,Thank you for doing this," Roni said after a few moments of silence.

,,No problem."

,,My girl is probably waiting for me anyway."

Emma almost steered the bug into a nearby ditch, and Roni huffed as her head was slammed back into the seat.

,,Ow," she complained.

,,I'm sorry," Emma quickly said and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. _Her girl_ , Roni had said. So she was in fact seeing someone. And judging by it, she was _living_ with someone.

But why the hell had she attempted to kiss Emma just a few days ago? What was up with that? Why would she hit on Emma if she was already seeing someone?

Emma kept her eyes on the road. Was Roni really just another heartbreaker who enjoyed making her squirm? Emma had trouble believing it. She was so sure that Roni was different. She desperately wanted her to be different from the other assholes she had been interested in.

Emma glanced towards the woman beside her. Roni had tipped her head back and her eyes were closed. She was so beautiful. Even tipsy and half asleep she was so excruciatingly beautiful and perfect.

 _Why are you with somebody else_? Emma silently asked her. _Why did you give me hope_?

Emma drove through the city, and it didn't take long before the yellow bug pulled up in front of Roni's bar.

,,Hey?" Emma nudged the sleeping woman.

No reply.

,,Sleeping Beauty?" Emma tried again. ,,You're home. Safe and sound."

,,So I am," Roni slurred and slung one leg out of the car.

Emma quickly went to the other side of the car and helped her get on her feet.

,,Thanks. Help me inside?" Roni said and batted her big brown eyes at Emma.

 _Yeah, umm, probably not the best idea since you have another woman waiting for you in there._

,,Please?" Roni purred.

Damn it. Emma found herself incapable of saying no to _that_ , and besides, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to get a good look at the competition.

,,Sure," the blonde surrendered and grabbed Roni by the arm. ,,Come on then. Easy, easy. Careful."

Emma half dragged half carried the drunken woman through the bar. The stairs up to Roni's apartment were quite tricky, but through nice teamwork, Emma succeeded in getting Roni up the stairs.

Roni stuck a hand in her pocket and fumbled for several minutes before she managed to unlock the door and stumble inside. She switched the lights on and slung her black leather jacket over a chair.

Emma looked around in the messy apartment. Absolutely no sign of another woman. Maybe she had gone to bed.

,,I should probably get going," Emma said.

,,Aren't you gonna stay and hi to my girl?"

 _What the hell_? ,,I, uh. I don't think that would be a good idea," Emma said vaguely.

,,A shame. She would be _so_ disappointed if she knew there had been someone here and she didn't get a chance to meet her," Roni said and clicked her tongue.

 _What the actual_? Just what kind of relationship did Roni and this other woman have? An open one? One with multiple partners?"

,,I'm just gonna.. go," Emma muttered.

,,There she is!" Roni interrupted in a rather high pitched voice. ,,There's my girl!"

Emma spun around just in time to see a red cocker spaniel slinking through the door, wagging her tail enthusiastically at Roni.

Oh. _Oh_. Emma spluttered when she realized her mistake. She _had_ paused at the expression "my girl", and now it became obvious that _her girl_ was a dog.

Stupid, stupid Emma.

Roni however, didn't pick up on Emma's mistake. ,,Ohh, come here, honey," she cooed and gave the dog a kiss on the forehead. ,,Emma, this is Lady, Lady this is Emma."

,,Hi Lady. Nice to meet you," Emma bent down and patted the dog. _Very, very nice to meet you, I'm so glad you're a dog_.

Lady seemed equally pleased to meet her and gave her hand a lick.

Now that the mistake was cleared up, Emma found herself reluctant to leave Roni's apartment, but the woman was overly tipsy and would probably end the night curled up on the couch. With the dog.

,,Alright. I better get going now. It's getting late," the blonde said and headed towards the door.

Roni followed her to the door and when Emma was halfway out of the apartment, she put a hand on the blonde's arm and stopped her. ,,I'm sorry I can't give you money for taking me home."

,,You don't have to. You made sure I got home that night. Now I can return the favor."

,,But I can give you something else," Roni went on, completely overhearing Emma's remark.

,,You don't have to give me anything," Emma squeaked when Roni suddenly came rather close.

,,Oh but I _do_ ," Roni purred and then her lips brushed Emma's cheek in a very light kiss.

It was nothing more than an innocent kiss on the cheek, and yet Emma found herself to become dizzy at the contact. It took all her strength to remind herself that Roni was drunk and probably didn't have a clue what she was doing.

And then, as quickly as it had happened, it was over again.

,,Goodnight, miss Swan," Roni said and shut the apartment door.

,,Right. Goodnight." A very flushed and somewhat breathless Emma said.

 **To Be Continued..**


	6. Chapter 6

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 6:**

Thanks to Roni's unexpected goodnight kiss, Emma spent the next day's feeling quite lightheaded and not really aware of her surroundings. She knew she was going to work every day, but when she returned home, she had absolutely no idea what she had been doing the last few hours. Her head wasn't in it at all. Her thoughts kept wandering to places where they had no business.

Emma desperately wanted that kiss to mean something. To be more than just a simple "thanks for driving me home". She wanted- no, she _needed_ it to mean something more. To be more than just a kind gesture. She tried her best to analyze Roni's behavior that night. Had she flirted with her? No. Not really. Well, she had insisted that Emma escorted her inside. And she had asked for help to buckle the seatbelt. Did that qualify as flirting?

No. Probably not.

But before her drunken night then, she had most definitely come on to Emma, she was sure of that. For fucks sake, Roni had come close enough to _kiss_ her.

Emma still cursed herself for letting that opportunity to go hell, and images of herself pressing Roni up against the bar counter and kissing her kept popping up in her brain every so often.

How much did Roni remember, Emma wondered. Did she remember that Emma drove her home that night? Did she remember the kiss she had planted on Emma's cheek? And more importantly, did she regret it in any way?

The speculations drove Emma insane. What had happened to her ability to read people? Why couldn't she read Roni like she could read other people? Normally, she was fairly good at figuring people out, but with Roni it was different. She wasn't an open book like everybody else. She was.. unfathomable.

And there was something else that was different too. Normally, Emma had absolutely no problem with flirting and letting people know she was interested in more than a friendship. But with Roni she was reduced to an awkward, bumbling mess who could barely get two sentences out without blushing like an idiot.

What had that woman done to her? Why this fascination with a stranger?

Because Roni _was_ a stranger. The things Emma knew about her could be counted on very few fingers. She lived in a messy apartment. She had a fondness for denim and leather. She liked drinking beer while she was at work. She often wore dark nail polish, and she had a dog.

That was it. These were the things Emma knew about her. Absolutely nothing else. So yes, Roni was ultimately a stranger. Just another bartender trying to get by in Seattle.

And yet.. Emma didn't know why, but she felt.. _connected_ with her somehow. Why this connection? Or did she mistake connection for simple attraction and nothing more?

Emma decided that she had enough of driving herself mad with endless speculations that didn't go anywhere. Tonight she would go down to the bar once again. But tonight she wouldn't let anything get in her way. Instead she would basically spill her guts to Roni. Make or break. Quite simple.

So, come evening, Emma opened her closet in the search for something simple yet seductive.

Oh right. She didn't _own_ anything seductive. She had a full ensemble of leather jackets in various shades of red, but clothes that could be marked as "seductive"? not so much. In fact, the only thing she wore that came close to be just a little seductive was a tight, red dress she had only worn once in her life. At a fake date that ended with the guy spilling food all over it. Not the best memory. There was no way she was going to the bar wearing that.

So as usually, she ended up wearing jeans, a tanktop and her red leather jacket. And obviously, her hair chose today of all days to be impossible, so she had no other choice than to wear a beanie.

Emma sighted heavily as she gazed upon her own reflection in the mirror. She didn't exactly look irresistible. And definitely not like a woman worth pursuing. She looked.. boring. Dull. And not to mention incredible tired from lack of sleep. Not even a bit of mascara could make up for that.

Maybe this was a bad idea after all.

Emma shook her head and left the apartment before she could chicken out again.

The bar was as usually crowded when Emma arrived. The blonde quickly scanned the room. No sign of the one she was looking for. In fact, Roni was nowhere to be found.

Emma straightened her back, puffed her chest out and walked up to the counter. She cleared her throat to make the red headed bar girl aware that she was there.

,,What can I get for you honey?" she asked, and Emma wondered if it were Roni who had taught her to address the costumers like that.

,,Is Roni here?" Emma asked bluntly. _No more fumbling around_.

The girl looked Emma up and down and then she smirked. Emma got an inkling that she wasn't the first woman to trot up to the counter and ask for Roni.

,,No she isn't," the redhead said and looked like she was choking down a laugh. ,,But she did mention something about maybe coming down later. Would you like me to give a message to her?"

,,No that's alright. I'll just wait," Emma said and sat down near the counter.

,,Suit yourself," the bargirl said and went into what looked to be a staff room.

Emma sighted. If the bargirl intended to gossip about her, she could at least have had the curtesy to close the door. There was nothing wrong with Emma's hearing, and she could easily hear bits of what the redheads and the other bargirls were chatting about:

,,…Just came in and asked for Roni."

,,No kidding."

,,Somebody should warn her."

,,Ha! When have a warning ever worked?"

,,Oh well, I can't really blame her. We've all been there."

Emma frowned. So Roni had a reputation. That much was obvious. And it was also painfully obvious that she was competing with quite a few bargirls as well. Damn it. She should have known that this wasn't gonna be easy. Incredible. The first woman she had become interested in in years, and then she had to find out she had a reputation.

The evening went on and Emma grew more and more disheartened as time passed. There was still no sign of Roni, and Emma began to think that she wouldn't show up at all tonight. Maybe this had all been a bloody waste of time after all. She was well aware that the redheaded bargirl kept shooting looks at her every time she passed. Emma wondered when Roni had rejected her. It was obvious that that was what the nasty looks was about. The redhead had been interested in her boss and had gotten rejected. Ouch. That's gotta sting, Emma thought to herself. She actually managed to feel sorry for the poor girl. Despite her gossip-y manner.

Emma kept to herself as opposed to go out on the dance floor with the other people, but somehow, a guy still managed to spot her. The blonde groaned quietly as he hopped onto the chair next to her. He stank of alcohol and sweat, not the best cocktail, and it was fairly obvious that he had been drinking heavily all night.

,,Hey there," he slurred.

,,Hello," Emma said reserved.

,,What's a pretty girl doing here all alone?"

,,Who says I'm here alone?" Emma challenged.

The guy laughed. ,,I've been watching you for quite some time, and I've seen no friends of yours."

Emma rolled her eyes and didn't answer.

,,It doesn't seem right that a lovely woman like yourself should be sitting all alone," the guy went on.

,,Maybe I prefer being alone." _I would rather be alone than be with someone like you_.

,,Nonsense, nobody prefer to be alone," the guy brushed her off. ,,Can I buy you a drink?"

,,I already have, thank you," Emma said and waved her drink.

,,So finish it and let me buy you another," the guy pressed.

 _God, he wasn't giving up_.

,,No thank you," Emma said firmly. ,,And if you don't mind, I would prefer if you left me alone."

The guy didn't exactly take kindly to that. He narrowed his eyes and glared at her. ,,Snippy," he commented.

Emma had had enough of his overtures and decided to ignore him once and for all. She took a sip of her drink and looked straight ahead, anywhere but at the guy next to her.

It didn't work as intended. The guy was either very drunk or incapable of taking no for an answer. Or perhaps both. Emma stiffened when she felt his hand on her knee.

 _God, how dense was he_? Emma grabbed his hand and pushed it firmly away from her knee.

That didn't exactly work either. The guy's hand instantly crawled right back up her leg and he splayed his fingers wide as he reached her thigh.

,,What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Emma snapped. ,,Get your damn hand off me right now!"

The guy reluctantly removed his hand, but the look in his eyes made Emma fear that things could get really ugly in a minute.

And maybe they would have if it hadn't been for a voice saying:

,,She's not interested, _mate_. Now get the hell out of my bar before I make you."

Emma looked up. Roni stood right beside her, her face twisted in anger and her dark eyes glowing as she stared the guy down.

,,I was just.." the guy said.

,,I know perfectly what you were _just_ trying to. Out. Now."

,,You can't kick me out!" the guy sneered.

,,I think I just did," Roni said silkily.

The guy didn't bulge from the spot.

Roni sighted deeply and rolled her eyes in a "must we do this" manner. Then she turned to one of the bargirls: ,,Lila? Do you mind calling officer Rogers and.."

She didn't get a chance to finish the sentence before the guy clumsily got on his feet and announced loudly: ,,I'm getting out of here." And then, to Roni: ,,Your bar sucks, lady!" he didn't go quietly and knocked down both Emma's and his own drink glass before he left the bar and slammed the door behind him.

,,I think we just lost a customer," Lila sniggered.

,,What a _tragedy_ ," Roni said and shook her head with feigned sadness. ,,I should sue his ass for breaking two of my favorite glass."

Emma elegantly hopped off the barstool and crouched down next to Roni to help her pick up the broken pieces of glass.

,,Thanks, but you don't have to," Roni smiled.

,,I want to," Emma insisted.

,,Sorry you got ambushed by that creep. Normally the girls are really good at spotting them early."

,,It's alright. He didn't really do anything," Emma shrugged.

They helped each other picking the little shards of broken glass up, and Emma had to concentrate in order not to stare at Roni while she helped her. Otherwise she might just cut herself.

,,Thank you for getting me home the other night," Roni said after a little while.

,,You're welcome. Just returning the favor." _Do you remember you kissed me_?

Roni flashed her a smile, and once again found herself completely helpless. Their chemistry was palpable, almost sizzling through the air like electricity.

But once again, the coward in Emma reared its ugly head and forced the blonde to calmly stand up and carefully dump all the little broken pieces of glass in Roni's hands.

Soon after they finished picking up the broken glass, the bar began emptying. Maybe because this was a work night and people didn't feel like staying out too late. Emma watched as the drunken hordes pushed their way out of the bar and loudly shouted goodbyes and see you later's to Roni. Said woman smiled and returned their greetings with a "goodnight guys".

Emma lingered and watched the bargirls putting on their coats, saying goodnight to Roni and then leaving the bar. Only Lila, the redhead stayed a little while longer and shot glances between Roni behind the counter and Emma still glued to the barstool.

,,Roni? Do you want to come with me and Vanessa?" Lila suggested and gestured towards another bargirl waiting outside.

,,Not tonight, but thank you for the offer," Roni smiled.

Lila seemed gravely disappointed as she left the bar.

Emma finally emptied her drink completely and glanced behind the counter. Roni was facing away from her, in the process of putting the last shot glass away.

 _Tonight wasn't the night either_ , Emma thought to herself. She should just go already. Roni probably found it weird that she kept lingering like that. The brunette probably longed for the moment when she was able to lock the place up and return to her apartment upstairs.

Emma muttered a halfheartedly goodnight and hopped off the barstool. She already felt the disappointment burning through her veins as she headed for the door. She sighted quietly as she put her hand on the doorknob.

But her attempt of leaving the bar was stopped by a stern: ,,Just a moment, miss Swan."

Emma spun around and saw Roni go around the counter and coming sauntering towards her.

The blonde swallowed thickly at the expression on Roni's face. _A lioness stalking its prey_.

,,And just what do you mean with _goodnight_?" Roni echoed and raised an eyebrow.

Emma didn't know what to answer to that question.

,,You were just gonna leave again? Just like that?" Roni went on.

Emma found herself to be tongue tied. Roni was standing so close to her she could smell her shampoo. Apples and something else.

Roni waited patiently and tapped her foot in a rhythmical little motion.

 _Shit_. Emma still couldn't move. _Why? Why is this happening_? _Why the hell can't I say or do anything_ , _come on Emma, just do_ _something_ _!_

Roni sighted deeply and then growled out a resignedly: ,,Oh for heavens _sake_!"

Emma barely got the chance to pick up on what was going on before Roni grabbed her waist almost roughly and kissed her rather forcefully.

And now, _now_ Emma was able to move. And she did. She wrapped her arms around Roni's waist and returned the kiss with all the passion she could muster

 **To Be Continued..**


	7. Chapter 7

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 7:**

 _Was this really happening? Was Roni really kissing her? Did she really kiss Roni in this moment?_

 _Yes, Roni is most definitely kissing me_ , Emma thought to herself. And how absolutely delightful it was. After weeks of dancing around each other, it felt so good to just be able to wrap her arms around the other woman, tangle her fingers into her soft curls and kiss her until both parts were out of breath.

And Roni certainly seemed to feel the same. She grabbed on to Emma's hips, pressed their bodies flush together and digged her fingers into the soft flesh on Emma's hips.

Emma felt completely lightheaded, and she kept telling herself that this was actually happening. That this beautiful woman was actually kissing her. Like _really_ kissing her. She felt the tip of Roni's tongue ghost over her lower lip, and she willingly opened her mouth, allowing their tongues to meet. The blonde shuddered as Roni's tongue brushed against hers, in an almost caressing matter. Roni's hands wandered from her hips and pressed against her lower back instead, and Emma answered by cupping her face. It was like kissing her wasn't enough. She needed to touch Roni more than anything, Emma feared that if she stopped touching her, she would somehow slip away from her like a dream or a product of her fantasy.

 _She's not a fantasy. She's real. And this is actually happening_.

Emma felt complete ecstasy as their tongues entwined and danced together in perfect harmony, and- was that a moan she heard?

Yes. Roni was most definitely moaning into her mouth. Incredible. Emma found it incredible that this beautiful, perfect woman seemed to want her as much as Emma wanted her.

Emma wrapped her arms tightly around Roni's smaller body once more, and Roni reached up and tangled her fingers into Emma's golden hair.

 _I can't believe this is happening_.

And then, a creak coming from the door, and someone muttering half heartedly apologies.

Roni broke the kiss, and Emma had to bite her tongue not to whimper at the loss of contact.

Lila stood in the bar, cheeks lighting up pink. But not because she was embarrassed. The redhead looked completely _furious_ , Emma thought to herself.

Roni folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow in "what do you want" manner to Lila.

,,I.. I just forgot my jacket," the girl said halfheartedly and slipped into the staff room to collect said jacket.

,,Yes, I'm sure you did. On purpose," Roni muttered so quietly that only Emma was able to hear it.

Emma suppressed a smile as Lila returned with the jacket slung over her shoulder.

,,See you tomorrow, Roni."

,,Yes, I'm sure we do," Roni drawled as Lila finally left the bar.

Emma stood hesitant and a bit awkwardly. She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and fixed her slightly crooked beanie.

Roni, however, seemed completely unaffected as she sauntered back behind the counter and took a swig of the beer she always kept there.

Emma couldn't help but feel more than a bit disappointed. She was nowhere near done kissing Roni yet.

But apparently, or so it seemed, Roni was done kissing her. She took another swig of the beer and licked her lips afterwards. She looked a bit distant, Emma thought. As if she had completely forgotten all about the blonde she kissed so passionately seconds ago.

Emma wasn't sure what to do now. Part of her wanted to cross the floor in two strides, push Roni up against the wall and steal the next kiss. But she didn't quite have the guts to do so. But maybe Roni wouldn't appreciate that. Maybe this had just been a spur of the moment thing for her, and Lila's appearance had brought her back to reality.

And Roni still didn't say anything. She just looked straight ahead without actually seeing anything.

 _Yes, definitely my cue to leave_. Emma slowly turned around and headed for the door. Disappointment burning her guts. If only fucking _Lila_ hadn't shown up like that. Why the hell was this so difficult? What the hell was Lila's problem? Surely, Roni didn't belong to her or something like that? Honestly, Roni didn't seem the type who "belonged" to anybody.

Emma's inner monologue was interrupted when Roni finally spoke up:

,,I swear, some day that girl will be kicked out ass first."

,,Who?" Emma asked confused. She had been so engaged in her inner thoughts.

,,Lila," Roni said and sighted. ,,She acts like a petulant child."

,,Why aren't you just firing her, then?" _I would be very happy to see her go_.

,,For some reason the customers like her. I can't for the life of me imagine why," Roni chuckled.

,,Do _you_ like her?" Emma asked boldly. She really needed to know what she was up against here.

Roni almost spluttered. ,,But my dearest Emma, did you see me express kindness towards her?"

Emma shook her head and got a fuzzy feeling at hearing that warm, rich voice using her first name instead of "miss Swan".

Roni abandoned the beer and came slinking around the bar. Emma's breath hitched again when she came closer once again.

,,What about you, Emma?" the older woman inquired and looked at Emma with her deep brown eyes.

,,What about me?" Emma squeaked. _Please kiss me again_.

,,Is there someone _you_ like?"

,,No. I mean yes! But not.." Emma tried to explain as Roni nonchalantly played with a lock of her golden hair.

,,Are you _unattached_?" Roni asked huskily, ,,Or should I feel guilty for having kissed a kept woman?"

,,I'm unattached," Emma yapped off. _Most definitely unattached_.

,, _Ex_ cellent," Roni all but purred. And finally, _finally_ she kissed Emma again.

Emma's hands flew to the other woman's waist, eager to keep her exactly where she was.

But Roni didn't seem to be going anywhere. Instead she just kept kissing Emma with just as much passion as she did before they were interrupted. Her arms wrapped around Emma's neck and she took the blonde's bottom lip between her teeth and nipped almost a bit roughly.

Emma felt herself melting away, or so it seemed. She knew close to nothing about Roni, and yet had already fallen completely for her. She knew that there's was no going back now. It was too late. Roni had complete power over her, and if she chose this moment to rip Emma's clothes off and push her down on the bar floor, Emma probably wouldn't have protested in the slightest.

But she didn't. Instead she gently pushed Emma away and sniggered as she did so.

Emma panted and once again felt that pang of disappointment.

,,Let's not get ahead of ourselves, my dear," Roni drawled and pushed a curly lock of hair behind her ear.

 _I am already in way over my head. Thanks to you_. _And I wouldn't be totally opposed to having you rip my clothes of right here against the counter. Wait, what_?!

Emma blushed crimson at her own thoughts. Normally, they weren't quite so vivid and explicit. _What are you doing to me_? She silently asked Roni.

,,Emma?" Roni snapped her fingers in front of the blonde to get her attention.

,,Sorry. Yeah?"

,,I was just asking if you have plans tomorrow night?"

 _If I do, I'll cancel them_. ,,No. I don't."

,,Excellent. Do you want to come and walk my dog with me?"

 _Well, there's a new one_.,,Um. Sure. Yeah. That would be nice."

,,Great. Let's meet in front of the bar then. Is six thirty a good time for you?"

,,Yes, that sounds fine."

,,Good, I'll see you tomorrow evening then," Roni smirked and looked very satisfied. Then she glanced at the clock on the wall behind her.

,,Well, miss Swan," she drawled. ,,This has been absolutely _delightful_ , and I would love to linger a bit longer, but I think I can hear Lady barking upstairs so.."

,,You should probably go up there," Emma finished the sentence. ,,See you tomorrow."

,,That you will," Roni confirmed as she walked Emma to the door.

Emma once again put her hand on the doorknob and pushed the door open. ,,Oh, and miss Swan?" Roni called when she was halfway out of the door.

,,Yeah?"

,,Don't be late."

By the time Emma came back to her own apartment, her head was swimming. Three different cars had honked at her at the way back to get her attention, that's how distracted she had been.

She kept going over everything that had happened while she removed her makeup and changed into a pajama. Roni had _kissed_ her. Not just a kiss on the cheek, but _actually_ kissed her. And then she had practically invited Emma on a date.

And Emma was head over heels in love. In less than two months.

Strange. She _never_ allowed herself to fall in love with _anybody._ Not after Neal had broken her heart. And she didn't normally keep coming back to the person she was interested in. One night stands was as far as she would go.

Shit. That was the wrong thing to think about right now. Emma cursed herself for thinking about sex and then thinking about Roni. Her brain didn't need much fantasy to turn that into sex _with_ Roni. Damn it.

She felt flushed again. More than flushed. On the brink of driving back to Roni's apartment.

That woman had control over her like nobody else did.

Emma was pulled out of her thoughts when she finally noticed that she had been standing frozen in her bedroom for more than twenty minutes.

Distracted indeed.

 **To Be Continued..**


	8. Chapter 8

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 8:**

Emma actually needed a moment when she woke up the following morning to allow her brain to catch up with yesterday's events.

Oh right. Roni had kissed her. That happened. And furthermore, she was going to see her again today.

Emma jumped out of bed so fast she became dizzy and had to lean against the wall for a second. She felt like a silly teenager with a crush and not like a grown woman who normally had these walls gathered around her like an armor. How did she ever allow herself to become interested that fast?

And now the big question was, how was she supposed to pass the time until she was going to see Roni. It was still fairly early, and she didn't have work today. Sadly. It would have been the perfect way to pass the time.

Emma huffed out a breath and went into the bathroom to have a quick shower. Her bathroom was really crappy. Like really crappy. For starters, it was too small and cramped. And the water was always cold. The light didn't work properly, and more than once she had been forced to take a shower in complete darkness. Not a very pleasant experience. Especially because she happened to be a little scared of the dark. Of course she wasn't scared-scared like "there's a monster waiting for me in the dark" scared. Just a little uncomfortable with dark places. Probably a remain from her time at all the different foster homes and orphanages. And the prison. The lights were always switched off at a certain time in prison, and nobody really cared about the inmates who were uncomfortable with darkness.

Emma finished her shower and dried herself off with one of the tiny towels. Then she redressed in what she always wore. Jeans, a grey tanktop and her red leather jacket. But for once she chooses to style her hair a bit. She wouldn't normally go as far, but Roni is definitely worth styling her hair for.

Once the hair is done, Emma wonders what to do next. She better think of something unless she wants to pace up and down the living room floor, driving herself insane with anxiety about tonight.

The screeching phone makes the decision for her. Grateful to have something to do, Emma grabs the phone without checking the caller id.

,,Hey Em," Anna's voice said in the other end of the line.

,,Oh hey, Anna. What's up?" the blonde asked casually and checked her appearance in the mirror. Maybe she should work a bit harder to make her hair look good after the conversation with Anna.

,,I was just wondering if you would like to go out tonight, it's your day off, right?"

,,It is, but I can't tonight. I uh.. I kinda have a date so.." Emma admitted.

,,You're kidding," Anna said, and Emma understood the other woman's surprise. It had been at least two years since Emma last had a date with anybody.

,,Nope. I am a hundredth percent serious," Emma quipped.

,,With who?" Anna asked curiously.

,,Roni." Emma revealed and couldn't quite hide the pride in her voice. She still felt somewhat amazed that Roni had asked her just like that.

Anna whistled in the other end of the phone. ,,That's what I get for not being fast enough."

,,Anna!"

,,I'm just kidding," Anna assured. ,,I'm happy for you, Emma. I really am. I know how crazy you are about her."

,,I'm not crazy about her," Emma tried her best to deny.

,,Right," Anna laughed shamelessly. ,,Keep telling yourself that, Em."

,,I better go, there's somebody knocking at my door," Emma lied. Anna was mostly a great friend, but sometimes she was just a little too annoying.

,,Alright. But I want to know everything about the date," Anna warned as she hung up.

Emma shook her head. That wasn't very likely to happen. Emma wasn't a fan of gossip. In fact she wasn't really a fan of socializing. Anna and a couple other of friends referred to her as an "introvert", but Emma sometimes felt that it was a bit more than that. Like she didn't really connect with the people around her.

Originally, Seattle had just been "a stop on the way" for her. A few months here and then onwards to the next city. And she had planned on moving to California after spending a few months here. Or maybe something warmer.

But now. Now she didn't really feel like going anywhere. Despite the crappy apartment and the bad weather, Seattle suddenly seemed rather tempting.

Emma suddenly realized that she was still holding the phone, and she quickly put the device down and concentrated upon making her hair look nice and casually curly.

She didn't know she did it, but somehow she actually managed to pass the time, and finally, _finally_ it was time to leave the apartment and climb into the yellow bug.

But as soon as Emma stepped outside and reached her car, she realized that she had a flat tire. Damn it. _Damn it_. She knew how to do many things, but changing a tire was not one of them. She would have to call someone and have them fix it for her. But she had no idea who to call. She had only lived here for a few months, and didn't know anybody.

A quick phone call to Anna gave her the number to the best mechanic in town. Emma quickly dialed the number, and the guy who answered the phone sounded very understanding, but unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to be here in at least an hour. The blonde glanced at her watch. _Don't be late_ , Roni had said. One hour. It would be far too late by then. She was already running a bit late as it was.

 _Fuck_. What the hell was she supposed to do now? The public transport wasn't exactly known for its liability, and Anna didn't have a car.

Emma looked at her watch again. There was only one option really. She would have to _walk_. She could do that. Roni's bar wasn't that far away, and if she walked fast, maybe she would even be there on time.

The blonde turned her back on the useless car and started walking.

But it didn't really matter how fast she walked. She was still twenty minutes late when she finally arrived at the spot where they had agreed on meeting.

 _Shit_. Double shit. Roni would probably assume that Emma had blown her off. Damn it. This definitely wasn't her day.

Emma sighted frustrated. There was no sign of Roni or her dog anywhere. Of course she wasn't here, of course she wasn't. Why should she? Any sensible person would assume that Emma had blown her off.

Emma felt completely defeated. Why was this so hard? It was almost like fate was against her or some shit. Not that she really believed in fate or a deeper meaning, but right now, it sure felt like something or someone was working against her.

The blonde fished her phone out of her pocket. The least she could do was trying to find Roni's number and tell her the reason _why_ she didn't show up when she was supposed to.

Emma tried to check the website for Roni's Bar, but there weren't any cellphone numbers listed, and since she didn't know her last name, she couldn't very well google her. Perfect. Just great. So she was prevented from apologizing to Roni in any way. How wonderful. _Way to look like an asshole, Emma_.

The blonde was in the process of despairing over the failed date when she suddenly heard an all too familiar whistling.

Emma spun around and to her surprise she found Roni leaning nonchalantly against a tree. The dog waiting patiently at her feet.

,,There you are," the brunette drawled and strolled over to the dumbfounded Emma with Lady in tow.

,,You waited," Emma observed dumbly. She hadn't expected that at all. Normally people didn't wait for her.

,,We had an agreement, had we not?" Roni said and chuckled at the expression on Emma's face.

,,Yes but.."

,,But what? Did you assume I wouldn't be here?" Roni asked slyly.

Emma nodded wordless.

,,I always honor my agreements, miss Swan, and I had a feeling that she same thing counted for you. So yes, I stayed. Shall we?"

Emma nodded again and followed Roni as she walked towards a nearby park. As soon as they reached the park, the brunette let Lady off her leash, and she sat down at a nearby bench.

Emma suddenly felt a bit shy as she sat down next Roni. Despite their passionate kiss in the bar yesterday, she felt a bit intimidated by the confident woman next to her.

Roni turned to Emma. ,,Tell me about yourself, miss Swan."

,,What do you want to know?"

,,Everything. Who you are, where you come from. What you like, what you don't like, things that pisses you off, stuff like that."

And for some reason, some incredible reason, Emma just opened her mouth and started talking, something that had never happened before in her life. One simple question from Roni, and the blonde chatted on and told her everything there was to know about Emma Swan. She didn't leave out much about herself. Hell, she even mentioned Neal and how he kindly had screwed her over and left her to rot in prison. Roni listened attentively to everything Emma said, and her dark eyes never left Emma's green ones.

Emma briefly stopped her tirade to breathe. She looked up at Roni. ,,Why do I keep getting the feeling that I know you somehow?" she questioned and shook her head. This didn't make any sense. She had chatted on for twenty minutes straight. About _herself_ and about her past. She never did that. Not ever.

Roni shrugged. ,,Perhaps we've met each other in another life," she joked and Emma laughed. ,,But seriously, I never talk about this stuff. What have you _done_ to me?"

Roni sniggered. ,,Maybe I am just one of those people you can't help confide in."

 _And falling in love with_. _Wait what_?! ,,Yeah, that's probably it."

Their conversation was interrupted by Lady who came over to them, barking and wagging her tail. And with mud covered paws.

Emma petted the cocker spaniels head. ,,She's very cute."

,,Yes isn't she," Roni beamed.

,,How long have you had her?"

,,Three years. You have no idea how nice it is to come home to her after a noisy day at the bar. She's my best friend. And probably my closest one too." the last part was said with a laughter, but it suddenly occurred to Emma that Roni didn't have many friends. Despite her bubbly and laid-back attitude, Emma got the feeling that Roni perhaps was a bit lonely from time to time.

The blonde was pulled out of her realization by a: ,,Tell me about your job."

And once again Emma opened her mouth and started to talk. Flapping her gums. Story after story about catching bad guys spilled from her lips, and- admittedly, she did oversell a few of them just a bit to impress the woman next to her.

And Roni _did_ seem impressed. She commented and asked questions every time Emma took a break to get some air. The brunette was incredibly good at conversing, and Emma talked and talked like there was no tomorrow.

,,You are living an interesting life, miss Swan."

,,Oh, I don't know about that."

,,You do. You've travelled around, done stuff. I'm just a bar owner in the same city I've lived in my entire life."

,,You're born in Seattle?"

,,Mhmm. A true Seattleite," Roni quipped and flashed Emma a tongue-between teeth smile.

 _God she was so attractive when she did that_. Emma couldn't resist the urge to lean forward and press a light kiss to her lips.

She felt how Roni's lips curled into a smile and then the faintest pressure as she returned the kiss.

Again, it felt so bloody right to kiss Roni. The electricity between them was crackling once more, and Emma was certain she'd never felt this kind of chemistry with _anyone_.

 _What are you doing to me_?

Finally, Roni chuckled and gently pushed Emma away. Then the brunette glanced towards the sky and muttered a tragic: ,,Uh-oh."

Emma looked up too, and immediately saw the dark clouds over their heads.

,,We're gonna be soaked in a moment," Roni predicted.

And she was indeed right. Ten seconds later, rain came pouring down from the sky, and both women jumped up from the bench. Roni got a hold of Lady, and then all three of them raced out of the park.

They ended up taking shelter behind the bar, and Emma tried not to ogle Roni too much. She looked good, even soaked to the bone. And the way her Rick James t-shirt clung to her body was _very_ distracting.

,,What happened to your cute little bug?" Roni asked and wrenched water out of her curls.

,,Flat tire. That's why I was late," Emma admitted.

,,Oh. Well, there's really no point in you walking back to your apartment in this awful weather. I'll give you a lift."

,,Thanks."

They waited for a while until the rain didn't come down quite as hard as before, and then Roni led Emma over to a turquoise VW Van.

,,Nice car," Emma said impressed as she climbed in.

,,Thanks. I'm quite proud of it," Roni grinned.

Unfortunately, it didn't take very long to drive back to the apartment, and much to Emma's regret, they arrived way too soon outside her place.

,,I'll walk you in," Roni said swiftly before Emma got the chance to say anything.

 _Oh yes, please do_.

Together they walked up the stairs, and Emma was quite torn. On the one hand, she wanted to invite Roni in, but on the other hand, the apartment was beyond messy. And crappy. And small. And cold. And permanently gross.

,,Well miss Swan," Roni drawled as they reached the right apartment. ,,I had a nice time today."

,,So did I," Emma said warmly. A pity the date was already over.

Roni leaned forward and gave Emma a very light kiss on the cheek. Just like she had done it a few nights ago. Then she turned around and walked towards the stairs.

Emma felt just a hunt of panic as she saw her walk away. She didn't want her to leave. Not yet.

,,Roni?" she said hastily.

,,Yeah?" Roni turned around at the top of the stairs.

,,Would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow?" Emma blurted out before she could stop herself.

 _What the hell Emma?! You haven't cooked in three years, and now you're suddenly inviting her to dinner? Way to dig your own grave_.

,,Oh," Roni stopped in tracks, and Emma noted that she looked pleasantly surprised about the invitation. ,,Sure. I would love to," she finally said and flashed Emma a grin.

,,Great. Seven thirty?" Emma said and wondered how the hell she was gonna learn to cook over night.

,,Sounds perfect. See you tomorrow night then."

,,Yeah." Emma fumbled with the doorknob and turned around, ready to use her shoulder to force the door open as she sometimes had to.

,,Emma?" Roni said and made the blonde spin around once more.

,,Yes?"

,,Can you cook?"

,,Not really."

,,Right. I'm looking forward to the dinner," Roni grinned and Emma was sure she saw her blow a kiss on her way down the stairs..

 **To Be Continued..**


	9. Chapter 9

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 9:**

The following day Emma felt on edge. Just how the hell did she end up promising to make dinner when she's dangerous in a kitchen and haven't cooked for three years?

Emma puffed out air. She really knows how to make things difficult for herself.

She really wanted to impress Roni with a nice meal, but she's well aware over how dangerous she is in a kitchen. Last time she cooked, she actually managed to set the stove on fire. The firemen had arrived, and it had been part of the reason why she was kicked out of her old apartment.

So no, Emma wasn't exactly a boss in the kitchen. And yet here she was. Cooking. She had no idea what kind of food Roni liked. Emma herself lived of pizza, pasta and French fries. But she really couldn't make _French fries_ for Roni, could she? No, she would need to come up with something refined, classy, and not to mention very easy to make.

A quick look in the fridge told her that she had absolutely nothing worth serving as food. Emma wrinkled her nose as she threw some rather flaccid looking lettuce in the trashcan. Why did she even _buy_ lettuce in the first place? She never ate it anyway. Had always preferred bear claws and other unhealthy snacks.

Right. So nothing edible in the fridge. She would have to go to the store. Emma glanced at her watch. If she hurried, she could manage it before the store closed.

Thus, the blonde quickly put on her red leather jacket and rushed towards the nearest grocery store.

Almost thirty minutes later, Emma kicks the apartment door open and stumbles inside, loaded with grocery bags. Obviously, there had been a queue as big as a smaller town. Time was ticking now. Emma turned on the oven (a very dangerous thing to do), and unloaded the grocery bags. She had settled on salmon and potatoes. Nice and easy but delicious. Hopefully Roni liked fish.

Emma quickly seasoned the salmon with salt and pepper and pushed it into the oven. That was the first step. Next up was the potatoes. Surely, she couldn't mess that up.

Oh yes, she could. She was in the process of slicing them when the knife slipped and she was rewarded with a rather nasty looking gash on her finger.

,,Damn it!" the blonde cursed. She really was dangerous in a kitchen. Still grumbling, she quickly found some band-aid for her injured finger.

Luckily, Emma managed to slice the rest of the potatoes without injuring herself further, and it didn't take long before she was able to push the "more than a little uneven" sliced potatoes into the oven with the salmon.

There. Dinner was cooking in the oven. Now for the tidying up. The apartment honestly looked worse for the weather, and Emma would rather swallow poison than to invite Roni inside such a filthy place.

The blonde went to a cupboard and digged out an ancient, barely functioning vacuum cleaner. _I should probably buy a new vacuum cleaner one of these days_ , Emma mused to herself. This vacuum cleaner was at least eight years old, dusty, plus it made a weird sound whenever she used it. But luckily it managed to do its job. The apartment looked a little better. Still small and dark, but not as dusty and gross as before.

With that taken care off, it was time for Emma to "clean up" as well. She went into the bedroom and opened her closet in the search for something date appropriate. Of course there _was_ the red dress, but she had already ruled that one out once. Emma frowned. Her wardrobe vastly consisted of leather jackets, jeans and t-shirts. And that type of clothing worked perfectly on a normal work day, but this was different. She would very much like to make some sort of impression on Roni, maybe even impress her a bit. As silly as it sounded.

Why did it never occur to her to buy something else than just jeans and t-shirts? Oh right, because she never expected to fall in love again. _Wait what_?! _You've been on_ _one_ _date with this woman, Emma. Slow down_.

Emma shook her head as she pulled her nicest pair of jeans out of the closet and paired it with a white shirt. The hair got a quick brushing, and then she was ready to receive her guest. Ready and a bundle of nerves, that is. It was strange, really. Normally, Emma was a fairly confident person, but around Roni she transformed into a bundle of nerves. A lost girl. An ugly duckling with ruffled feathers.

Emma glanced at her watch. 20 minutes until Roni would arrive. What was she supposed to do in those damned 20 minutes? Of course she could sit down and read into the newest case she had, but she was way too nervous for that.

Emma ran her finger through her golden curls and reluctantly sat down at the already made table. At least she wasn't pacing up and down the floor now.

Before she could work herself up to a nervous fit, her cellphone rang, and Emma picked it up. She glanced at the caller ID and frowned. She didn't recognize the caller ID, and she really didn't have time for someone trying to sell her useless crap. So she was a bit reluctant when she took the call and said: ,,Hello?"

,,Emma? Emma!"

,,Yeah? Who's this?" the blonde asked. She really didn't have time for guessing games.

,,Emma it's me, it's…"

Emma didn't have a chance to hear what the woman in the other end of the line said. the connection crackled and made her voice distorted.

,,What? I can't hear you?" Emma said.

,,Emma it's.. you have to….home… believe me.. not real." The connection between them was lost, and Emma was met with nothing but a bleeping sound.

,,Hello? Hello?"

No answer. Emma frowned as she put the phone away. That was strange. Like _really_ strange. The woman in the other end of the line had sounded panicked, but also relieved at hearing Emma's voice. How weird. Emma had received a lot of prank calls in her lifetime, but never one quite like this one.

Emma shook her head and pushed the weird phone call out of her mind. Just a prank call and nothing else.

At the same time, there was a knock on the door, and forgetting the strange phone call became very easy when Emma opened the door for Roni.

,,Hey," she said and flashed Emma a beaming smile.

,,Hi. Come in," Emma said and immediately felt weak in her knees.

,,Thanks. Something smells good," she said appreciatively and shrugged her denim jacket off, revealing her black tanktop.

,,I hope you like salmon," Emma grinned.

,,I love it," Roni assured.

 _So far so good_ , Emma thought to herself as she watched Roni look around in the apartment. The blonde suddenly became aware how small and crappy it probably looked.

Roni elegantly sat down in the old leather couch, and Emma couldn't help but thinking how _nice_ the brunette looked in her furniture. Like she had been sitting there always.

,,Are you alright, miss Swan?" Roni asked silkily, and Emma realized she was staring.

,,Yeah, sorry. I'm fine."

,,No need to apologize, dear. Why don't you sit down?" Roni suggested nonchalantly.

Emma quickly sat down next to the brunette and fiddled with her hands in her lap until Roni gently put her hands over hers.

,,What's going on in that pretty head?" the brunette inquired and raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

,,I.. I think I'm nervous," Emma confessed and instantly regretted it. _Perfect. Please let her know how insecure you really are_.

But Roni just chuckled quietly, leaned forward and gave Emma a light kiss on the cheek. ,,Is it better now?"

,,A little," Emma said and felt a blush creeping up where Roni's lips had touched her.

,,How about.. now?" Roni asked and gave Emma another light kiss on the cheek.

,,Still nervous."

,,Now?" another light kiss, this time closer to her lips.

,,Getting there," Emma said jokingly.

Roni chuckled again, a deep rich sound in the back of her throat and gently pecked Emma's lips with her own. ,,Now?"

,,If you do it again, I swear I'll be fine for the rest of the night."

Roni gently interlaced their fingers as she leant forward again and kissed Emma on the mouth. And this time the kiss was less hesitantly. The brunette didn't waste any time in letting her hands slip up under Emma's shoulders and pull the blonde closer until they were flush against each other.

Emma gasped. Having Roni so close to her made her a little dizzy. The brunette was so close she could smell her perfume. Apples and something else Emma couldn't quite name. And why waste time with that anyway? She wrapped her arms firmly around Roni's neck and returned the kiss with all her might.

Roni's hand left Emma's upper back and ended up on her knee instead, where she began drawing lazy patterns. Her other hand skimmed up and down Emma's thigh.

She was actually getting a little _handsy_ , Emma noted. And normally she would have found it to be a huge cliché. But the way Roni did it was so wonderfully delicate, and- admittedly- more than a little arousing.

Emma tried her best to suppress a moan. Roni's hand on her thigh felt so damn _good_ and perfect, and strangely enough, a little _forbidden_ somehow.

"BEEP! BEEP!"

Emma yelped and came close to biting Roni's lip in pure shock.

,,That's my phone," Roni commented hoarsely and sniggered at the expression on Emma's face.

,,Switch it off?" Emma suggested hopefully.

,,I think I was promised dinner, miss Swan. And this, as nice as it is, does _not_ qualify as dinner," Roni drawled and retrieved her phone from her pocket.

Emma tried to catch her breath. She should probably check on dinner. She reluctantly left the couch and went into the kitchen. Dinner looked fine, and almost done. Emma peaked into the living room as Roni answered her phone:

,,Hello? What? Can you speak up? Who? Sorry, I think you got the wrong number, mate. Bye." She hung up, and Emma noted that she was frowning now.

,,That was strange," the brunette commented as she came into the kitchen.

,,Who was it?"

,,I have no idea. Some fella asking for "Regina". Told him there was no Reginas here."

,,And what did he say?" Emma asked as she took the perfectly cooked salmon out of the oven.

,,I almost couldn't hear what he said, he just repeated the name "Regina" over and over again. Weird."

,,That _is_ weird," Emma agreed and decided to tell Roni about the strange phone call she had received seconds before Roni arrived.

,,Huh. Quite the coincidence," Roni mused and frowned.

,,Indeed. Well, dinner's ready," Emma announced quite proudly. To think that she had managed to cook a nice meal _by herself_ without burning the kitchen down. That was quite the achievement.

They sat down at the table and digged into the food. Emma carefully watched Roni's reaction as she took the first bite. The brunette smiled and praised the food. Emma grinned from ear to ear at the compliment. She _could_ cook.

As the evening went on, Emma's nervousness dialed down a little, and the two women constantly chatted away. Emma insisted that Roni told her everything there was to know. And so Roni told her that she had owned the bar for a little more than ten years now, she had lived in Seattle all of her life, and, the most surprising fact of them all:

,,I've never been on a date," Roni admitted between bites of salmon.

,,What, _never_?"

,,Never."

,,Why not?"

,,Nobody ever asked me," Roni quipped, and Emma rolled her green eyes.

,,I seriously doubt that."

,,Okay, maybe I've been asked by a _few_ , but I've always turned them down."

,,Why?"

,,Because they weren't worth dating," Roni shrugged.

,,You said yes to _me_ ," Emma pointed out.

,,And you are very much worth dating, miss Swan. I happen to find your company absolutely delightful."

Emma hid a chuckle behind her hand. Roni had a way with words. Sometimes she snuffed off her words and almost had a slight _accent_ , and at other times, she sounded positively old fashioned. But it was all part of her charm and positively adorable.

Roni suddenly reached into her purse and revealed that she had brought a bottle of wine with her, and the two women ended up sharing the whole bottle.

Emma felt pleasantly drunk as she put their plates away. Not completely shit-faced, but definitely not sober either. She felt warm. Fuzzy. Contend.

And Roni appeared to be feeling the same. They once again ended up in the couch, laughing their heads off and chatting, interrupted by a few kisses here and there, and Emma couldn't help but think how _nice_ this was. How good it all felt. Just her and Roni.

 _Where have you been all my life_? She silently asked the brunette, and immediately balked at her own thoughts. Where the hell did that come from? This was only the second date. She shouldn't be thinking like this.

In fact, she _never_ thought stuff like this. Dating was a sport for her, she never fell head over heels in love with anyone. It was like Roni had bewitched her or something like that.

Emma leaned forward and kissed her again. Just for the hell of it. Just to make sure she was there, and not some alcohol induced fata morgana.

And oh, how she wasn't. Roni immediately returned the kiss and grabbed onto a fistful of Emma's shirt.

And Emma herself grew more adventurous and bold, most likely because of the wine, and she leaned back against the couch pillows, pulling Roni down on top of her.

Roni didn't seem to mind that at all. She sniggered hoarsely and her fingers skimmed up and down Emma's thigh as they kissed.

Emma pushed Roni's dark curls away and attacked the brunette's lips with her own. It was heady being so close to Roni, and yet it somehow wasn't enough. She wanted _more_ from her than just kisses. She wanted _all_ of her, and she wanted it right now.

Emma's train of thoughts were interrupted as Roni chuckled once and gently pulled away. The brunette ran a hand through her dark curls and glanced at her watch. ,,It's getting rather late, miss Swan."

,,Oh. So it is."

,,I should probably get going."

 _Ask her to stay the night, you coward. Ask her_. _the worst thing that can happen is that she says no_. _go on, ask her_!

But however hard she tried, Emma couldn't get the words out and ended up escorting Roni to the door instead.

,,Thank you for a lovely dinner. Next meal is on me," she assured, and Emma felt warm at the thought of a third date.

Roni leaned forward yet again and kissed Emma gently on the lips. ,,See you later, miss Swan."

,,See you," Emma smiled and watched as Roni disappeared down the stairs.

The smile got replaced by a despairing grimace as soon as she shut the door. Damn her and her cowardice. Why the hell didn't she ask Roni to stay instead of clamming up like a freaking oyster?

 **To Be Continued..**


	10. Chapter 10

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 10:**

Emma wanted a third date.

As in really, _really_ wanted.

And considering how well the last date went, she couldn't see why that shouldn't be possible.

The blonde had had some problems concentrating on her job after her date with Roni. It was like her brain could think of one thing, and one thing only.

The beautiful bartender who had edged herself into Emma's brain.

Emma wanted to see her again. To hear her say "miss Swan", and see her dark curls bounce when she laughed.

And Emma would also very much like to kiss Roni again. Emma had kissed many a frog during her lifetime, but with Roni it had felt different. Better, in every sense of the word, and Emma suddenly understood why people went out to date and connect with people.

Emma decided to head over to her favorite bar and see her favorite bartender. She didn't care that she appeared desperate.

The bar was as usual crammed with drunken people. Music filled the room and made it quite impossible to hear what anyone said.

Emma scanned the room as she went inside. No sign of-, wait, hang on. There she was.

The blonde narrowed her eyes at what she saw. She didn't like that one bit, and all of her old insecurities about herself and other people came welling up in her.

Roni was indeed in the bar. And she stood leaning against the counter as she normally did. But she appeared to be chatting rather intensely with another woman.

 _And just who the hell was that_? Emma thought to herself as she measured the other woman from head to toe. She looked very businesslike with her tight, black pencil skirt, white blouse and black blazer. Even her dark blonde hair looked ultra-professional, cut in a neat pageboy style. And her high heels easily made her tower over Emma.

So in other words, this woman was everything that Emma wasn't. Neat. Tidy. Put together. Completely professional.

And more importantly, it looked like she and Roni were hitting it off. The unfamiliar woman said something that made Roni laugh and throw her head back. Her dark eyes sparkled.

Emma felt bile rise in her throat, and she felt more than tempted to storm over there and ask the woman just who the hell she thought she was. But she knew she couldn't do that. She and Roni had only been on what, two dates? Emma didn't _own_ her, they may have kissed each other a few times, but they weren't _together_ as such. But still, Emma didn't like what she saw one bit.

 _Fuck. I really am jealous_ , Emma realized. She had once sworn that she would never ever turn into one of those women who became jealous over any little thing, and here she was. Nearly climbing the wall because Roni happened to be chatting to another woman. Damnit.

Maybe she should just go home again. And mope. Emma immediately felt like a complete failure. God damn it, the first woman she became interested in in years, and something like this happened. Maybe her luck in love hadn't changed after all, maybe it had all just been wishful thinking. Too good to be true.

Emma felt how her heart left its usual place in her chest and sunk towards the pit of her stomach instead. Nope, this definitely wasn't her night.

 _Stick to your work, Emma_. _That way you won't be disappointed_. _Roni was too good to be true any way. Why should she be interested in_ _you_?

Emma really hated when this happened. When insecurities got the best of her, and that irritating little voice in the back of her head kept telling her how useless, how unloved and how unimportant she was.

The blonde knew that a psychiatrist somewhere probably could have a field day with her. Hearing voices and all. The result of a life full of disappointments and abandonment.

Emma decided it would be better to leave quietly and move on. The blonde turned around and headed for the door. Or, she tried to. The people dancing around her made it somewhat difficult, but she tried her best to elbow her way out of the crowded bar before anybody noticed that she was there.

,,Emma?"

 _Too late_. She had been discovered. Shoot. Emma turned around as a puppet on a string. That rich, sultry voice had that effect on her.

Roni looked at her from behind the counter and made a "come hither" motion with a waggle of her finger.

And once again Emma found herself to be enslaved, enticed by her, and she had no other choice than to walk back to the counter.

,,I thought it was you," Roni grinned. ,,But I found it rather strange that you didn't came over and said hi instead of lurking in the corner."

,,Hi." Emma said rather lamely. Well aware that the posh woman was still sitting right next to her.

,,Hi yourself," Roni smirked and gave Emma's hand a little squeeze.

 _I really shouldn't react to that. She barely touched me, for god's sake_!

That damned crackling electricity again. Emma could have sworn that it made all the little hairs on her arm stand up, and she bit the inside of her cheek in order not to shudder and make a bloody fool out of herself. She glanced at the perfect woman next to her who had crossed her legs and nonchalantly sipped at her vodka martini.

And clearly Roni noticed her stare, because she quickly said: ,,Emma, this is Clarissa Trevelyan. She's the mayor of Hyperion Heights."

 _The mayor_? Emma looked at her again. She _did_ look very much like a mayor with her professional attire and her posh attitude.

,,She's the one who grand me permission to serve alcohol, so it's important to stay friends with her," Roni continued and grinned.

Clarissa Trevelyan smiled and shook her head. ,,My dear Roni, staying friends with you isn't exactly hard."

,,You are too kind," Roni joked.

Clarissa turned to Emma and extended her hand towards her. ,,Nice to meet you Emma."

,,Likewise," Emma said not completely honest as she shook the mayors hand.

Clarissa looked around in the bar and smiled again. ,,I can see that nothing is out of the ordinary here, so I better be on my way. Thank you for the drink, Roni."

,,No problem."

 _Was it normal that the mayor didn't pay for her drink_? Emma thought to herself and then she shook her head at herself. Why did it even matter? Clarissa was the mayor. Surely, her and Roni weren't…

Roni came back after having followed Clarissa to the door, and the brunette quickly found her usual place behind the counter. She tilted her head to the side and looked at Emma. ,,What's the matter with you tonight, duckling?"

 _Duckling_? That was definitely a new one. Emma was used to people calling her by her last name "because it sounded so pretty", but "duckling" was taking it to a new level.

,,Emma?" Roni snapped her fingers in front of her face, and Emma blinked and looked up.

,,Hi," Roni grinned. ,,Are you okay?"

,,Yes I'm fine."

,,You're lying," Roni accused without batting an eye.

,,I am not," Emma tried.

,,Yes you are. What's the matter?"

,, _Nothing_!" Wait, that came out way harsher than I intended to. Damn it!

The grin disappeared from Roni's face. ,,Fine. Have it your way. I have other customers."

Fuck. _Fuck_. There was no doubt that Roni took offense to Emma's tone, and, why shouldn't she? Emma _had_ been speaking rather harshly.

The blonde's heart sunk once again. What was the _matter_ with her? Why the hell did she always ruin everything? There was absolutely no reason to speak like that to Roni. She didn't have the faintest idea of what was going on in Emma's muddled mind. _Maybe you could have just asked her how she knew the mayor, you know, like a_ _normal_ _person would do? Instead of snapping of her, you idiot._

Emma felt tempted to bang her head against the table. God, she was such an idiot. She watched as Roni walked around and served people drinks. The brunette barely looked at Emma twice, but there was a distinct little wrinkle on her forehead. It was obvious she wondered what she had done wrong.

 _Crap_. The last thing Emma wanted was to mess this thing up. The blonde watched and waited for Roni to come back to her, but Roni didn't seem very eager to talk to Emma now, and Emma wondered if she really just missed the freaking boat.

 _Apologize to her, you moron_. _And do it now before she assumes_ _she's_ _the problem._

Emma waited until Roni came close enough, and then the blonde quickly put a hand on the other woman's arm.

Roni raised an eyebrow at the unexpected touch, but she didn't swat Emma's hand away.

,,I'm sorry," Emma said. ,,I shouldn't have snapped at you."

,,No you shouldn't," Roni agreed, but then her expression softened a little. ,,Why _did_ you snap?"

,,It's nothing.. I'm just being stupid."

,,I highly doubt that, miss Swan. Out with it."

,,I was jealous," Emma blurted out and blushed crimson.

But Roni didn't laugh in her face or told her that she was being ridiculous. Instead she simply asked: ,,Why?"

,,You and the Mayor just really seemed.. close and.. I know it's stupid."

,, _Clarissa_? Seriously?" Roni said and raised an eyebrow. ,,Oh no, I can _assure_ you we're not close at all. As a matter fact, I really don't like her. Never have."

,,Really?" Emma asked, a grin spreading over her face.

,,Yes really," Roni teased gently and leaned forward and took one of Emma's hands between hers. ,,Emma, I don't know what you've heard about me, but.."

,,I haven't heard anything," Emma lied.

Roni just brushed her words off. ,,I'm well aware that I have a certain reputation, miss Swan. No need to sugarcoat it. But anyhow, I don't date multiple people at the same time. And I happen to be quite interested in _you_."

Emma yet again found it hard to breathe and she couldn't give a sensible answer.

,,What are you doing on Friday?" Roni asked without further initiation.

,,Uh.. nothing." Actually she had promised Anna to go out and have drinks, but that would obviously have to wait.

,,Excellent. My apartment. Seven o'clock. Don't be late."

Now Emma's head was seriously spinning. She had hoped for a third date, but hadn't expected it to be that easy. She wasn't really used to things being easy.

,,Is that alright with you?" Roni asked and smirked at the befuddled look on Emma's face.

,,I.. yeah, that sounds good," Emma smiled and felt how her heart slowly returned to its normal place, and a million fluttering butterflies invaded her stomach.

,,Great. I'm looking forward to it," Roni said silkily and leant forward slightly to brush her fingertips against Emma's cheek.

And Emma couldn't help but lean into the touch. Once again, electricity crackled between them. She actually felt a bit dizzy.

,,It's a date then, miss Swan," Roni murmured and brushed her fingertips against Emma's cheek once more.

 **To Be Continued..**


	11. Chapter 11

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 11:**

Emma had gone out and done the unexpected. The unthinkable.

She had bought a new dress.

And yes, this was a huge thing for her. Emma _never_ bought new clothes. Not unless her old clothing were falling apart.

Emma had already dubbed this new behavior "the Roni effect". The dark eyed bartender had to be the only explanation for this lunacy. It was _years_ since Emma last bought a new dress. And this time, it was even an _expensive_ dress. _And_ she had gone all out and bought a pair of earrings. What the hell had gotten into her lately?

To say that she was looking forward to the date tonight would be an understatement. Her head had been buzzing since she had returned home from the bar, and she kept hearing Roni's words in her head: " _I happen to be quite interested in_ _you_ _, miss Swan_."

That was more than a bit incredible. That this ridiculously attractive, smart and funny woman was interested in her, Emma, a bumbling pile of awkwardness.

Emma glanced at the big clock on her wall. It was already time to get ready. So, instead of wasting anymore time, she wiggled out of her clothes and changed into the dress. She pursed her lips and glanced at her own reflection in the mirror. She actually liked this dress. A black little thing with spaghetti straps and it showed off her cleavage. Quite a bit actually. For a second Emma wondered if she was trying too hard, but the hell with it, she felt comfortable in this dress.

Emma sat down in front of her ridiculously small vanity and began putting on her makeup. She for once chose to style her hair, and the golden locks hung in soft curls around her face.

A touch of makeup highlighted her green eyes and her lips got a light dab with her pale pink lipstick.

There. She was done, and for once Emma was happy with the way she looked. The duckling had turned into a swan for tonight.

Emma quickly slipped her heels on and went over to find her coat when her phone suddenly screeched.

The blonde retrieved the phone from her purse. She didn't recognize the caller ID, and for a second she wondered if it were yet another prank call. But nevertheless she answered the phone. ,,Hello?"

,,Change of plans, miss Swan." Roni drawled in the other end.

Emma's heart both leapt and sunk. She was very happy to hear her voice in the phone, but the "change of plans" didn't please her one bit.

,,Oh. Alright." Emma said and already regretted buying that damned dress. Maybe she could deliver it back to the store tomorrow.

,,Is there any chance we can meet at your place instead?" Roni asked.

 _Wait what_? _She's not cancelling the date like I thought_? ,,W-what?"

,,There's been a break in in my home," Roni sighted.

,,Are you alright?" Emma asked and frowned, and, after a moment of consideration: ,,Is Lady alright?"

,,I'm fine. And so is Lady, I had her with me when it happened, thank god. But the thing is, that the police won't be able to get here until tomorrow, and I'm not supposed to touch anything until they arrive, so…"

,,I get it. We can totally be here instead."

,,Great. I wouldn't be pleased about having to cancel the date."

,,Me neither."

,,I'll be there shortly. Is it alright if I bring Lady? I really don't want to leave her alone."

,,Of course not. Just bring her."

,,Great. See you in a moment."

Roni hung up and it occurred to Emma that she didn't have the faintest idea how she had gotten her number in the first place.

Emma took her coat off again and considered to take off her heels too. But she decided to keep them on anyway. It was nice wearing heels for a change.

It didn't take more than ten minutes before there was a knock on the door. Emma quickly went to open it.

Roni stood outside, Lady waiting patiently by her feet and wagging her tail when she saw Emma. Roni was wearing her usual "jeans and leather jacket" attire, and for a second, Emma felt silly for dressing up. Especially in her own home.

But Roni seemed delighted. Her gaze shifted from Emma's tight dress to her face. The brunette grinned and said: ,,Miss Swan, you look absolutely _exquisite_."

,,Oh." Emma blushed ferociously. ,,Thank you."

It was when Emma stepped aside, that she realized that Roni was carrying two grocery bags with her. the blonde tilted her head at the bags.

,,I did promise to cook for you, didn't I?" Roni grinned when she noticed Emma's stare. ,,I keep my word, miss Swan. My apartment might be off the limits tonight, but I'm certainly going to make us a meal."

Emma hadn't expected that. She had assumed that they would be going out instead, but apparently Roni had other plans.

,,How does lasagna sound?" the brunette asked as she unpacked the grocery items.

 _Lasagna_? _I think I need her forever_. ,,Sounds great. Do you want me to do anything?"

,,Yeah, sit down and get aquatinted with Lady while I make dinner."

,,Don't you want me to help?"

,,Absolutely not," Roni said firmly. ,,I already told you, this night is on me."

And Roni quickly turns out to be quite the chef is the kitchen, so while Emma gets "acquainted" with Lady, the brunette rummaged around in the kitchen, and soon after the delicious smell of tomatoes and garlic filled the kitchen.

Emma looked at her. Roni looked _very_ good tonight. She had discarded of her leather jacket and was now donning a tight, black tanktop paired with ripped jeans that fitted her like a glove. Emma knew that what she was doing was called staring, no, _ogling_ , and maybe that wasn't the politest thing to do. But she couldn't help it. Roni just looked so damn alluring.

It didn't take long before Roni pushed the lasagna into the oven and came over and sat next to Emma in the couch. The brunette promptly leaned in a and brushed her lips lightly over Emma's.

,,I've been wanting to do that since I stepped inside," she confessed with a little smile.

,,I've been wanting you to do that since you stepped inside," Emma said a bit sheepishly.

,,Great minds think alike. Did I mention how lovely you look tonight, miss Swan?"

,,Yeah, I think you said it once," Emma grinned. ,,But I don't mind you saying it again."

Roni gave Emma's knee a little squeeze, and her dark eyes sparkled impishly. The lioness was back, and Emma had absolutely no problem with being the prey. In fact, she would like nothing more right now.

 _Please kiss me again_.

And almost as she could read Emma like an open book, Roni leaned forward and pecked her lips once more.

Emma couldn't quite control her response to the kiss; she instantly locked her arms around Roni's waist, pulling the other woman closer; almost desperate for more contact. Again, it was like kissing her just wasn't enough. It felt wonderful, intoxicating, and yet she somehow yearned for more.

Lady interrupted them with a loud yap, and Roni sniggered as she broke away from Emma. ,,Let's have dinner, miss Swan."

,,Yeah," Emma squeaked.

The lasagna was, to speak frankly, one of the best meals Emma ever had, and Roni actually blushed a bit when the blonde told her that. And obviously she looked ridiculously attractive while doing so.

The two women ended up chatting about everything and nothing as they ate dinner. Once again Emma found it shockingly easy to open up to Roni, and she ended up sharing quite a bit about her rough past in different foster homes and orphanages. She even told her about Neal, and Roni quickly reached out and gave her hand a little squeeze.

Afterwards, Roni told Emma about her own life, and Emma listened to the story about a cold an uncaring mother and a father who tried his best, but essentially couldn't do anything.

,,She even wanted me to get married when I turned eighteen," Roni said nonchalantly and took another bite of the lasagna.

,,Seriously? That soon?"

,,Yep. With a man who was old enough to be my father. I wasn't delighted at the thought."

,,What did you do?"

,,I ran," Roni flashed her a toothy grin. ,,As fast as I could. Crashed with random people, had different jobs until I scraped enough money together to open the bar."

,,Wow. I'm glad you managed to get away."

,,Me, too. cheers."

,,Cheers."

The similarities between their lives were shocking. Apart from a few details here and there, it was like hearing her own story again, Emma thought to herself as she watched Roni. What a woman. Emma was deeply impressed that she had actually managed to break free from her controlling mother.

They managed to eat half of the lasagna, and Emma ambitiously announced that she would definitely eat the rest of it tomorrow.

Once again, they ended up sitting in the couch with a glass of wine and Lady sleeping by their feet. And Emma kept thinking how _nice_ this was. How wonderful it felt to have Roni here, in her apartment. She fitted here somehow. Like she had always been here.

,,Is something wrong?" Roni asked and smiled a little at the way Emma looked at her.

,,No. I'm just.. happy." How strange. She hadn't been happy in quite a while.

Roni wrapped her slender fingers around Emma's wrist. ,,So am I, miss Swan. Very happy."

 _God_ , _I'm so glad I walked into the bar that night_.

Both women appeared to be thinking of the same thing and leant forward, slotting their lips together once more.

But as they kissed Emma picked up on something, and she immediately cursed herself for doing so. What right did she have to notice other things when Roni's fingers were combing through her hair?

But yet she couldn't block it out now that she knew it was there. A faint rumbling across town along with a slight shaking. Almost like a little earthquake.

,,What on earth is that?" Roni questioned as she broke the kiss.

,,I don't know. I would say an earthquake, but that's impossible."

Roni elegantly swung her legs off the couch and walked over to the window to peak out behind the curtains.

,,Can you see anything?" Emma inquired.

,,Lights. Weird lights. Come and see."

Emma hopped off the couch and minded the sleeping Lady as she walked over to the window where Roni was standing. The blonde peaked out of the window, and there were indeed strange lights flashing somewhere across the town. Green, yellow and bright red.

,,Fireworks?" Emma suggested.

,,Do you really think it looks like fireworks?" Roni frowned.

,,Not really," Emma admitted. It looked weird. Almost like smoke, and definitely not like ordinary fireworks.

,,Strange," Roni muttered.

,,Very," Emma agreed.

,,Well, I guess someone is celebrating New Year's early," the brunette grinned.

They returned to the couch where they chatted for a while, until Roni glanced at her watch and pursed her lips regretfully.

,,It's getting rather late."

,,Oh. Right." Roni was absolutely right, it _was_ getting pretty late.

,,I guess Lady and I should be going, if we're gonna find a hotel room at this hour.."

,,A hotel room?" Emma interrupted. ,,Why do you need a hotel room?"

Roni shrugged. ,,After the break in, I don't feel much like staying there alone. Well, not alone, but Lady would probably greet a burglar like an old friend."

,,I get it."

Roni stood from the couch and clapped her hands to get the cocker spaniels attention. ,,Come on, Lady. Let's find go find a hotel room."

Emma had no idea how it happened, but as she watched Roni collect her phone and purse, the blonde suddenly heard herself blurt out: ,,You don't need a hotel room. You can stay here instead."

 **To Be Continued..**


	12. Chapter 12

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 12**

 _Did I seriously say that_? _Nice. Well done, Emma. This is the third date. Only the third date. She will assume I only want one thing from her. Great. Fantastic. God, you are such a moron, Emma. Such an idio…_

,,Interesting suggestion," Roni interrupted the blonde's inner monologue.

Emma blinked. That wasn't quite the reaction she had expected.

,,Do you have a guest room?" Roni drawled and cocked an eyebrow.

,,Uh, I.. no."

,,Hmm. And the couch doesn't look very comfortable."

Once again, Emma felt herself gape at the brunette's laid-back attitude. She had expected Roni to get angry or decline.

,,How on earth are we gonna solve that problem?" Roni asked huskily and threw the metaphorical ball back to Emma.

And Emma did what she had dreamed of doing since she first laid eyes on Roni. The only thing she could do. She abandoned all common sense and pushed Roni up against the wall and kissed her desperately.

Roni's arms instantly locked around Emma's waist and pulled her closer until they were pressed flushed together.

The feeling of having her so close made Emma dizzy, and she breathed in the scent of the other woman. _Apples. Apples and.. cinnamon_? Yes, definitely cinnamon. Emma ghosted the tip of her tongue across Roni's lower lip, and the brunette willingly parted her lips, allowing Emma's tongue to slide in.

Emma felt completely lightheaded, maybe even a bit faint. _Please don't make me faint right now_.

The feeling of being lightheaded was quickly forgotten when Roni suddenly switched their positions so Emma was the one who was pushed up against the wall. Roni grinned at the expression on Emma's face. ,,Problem, miss Swan?" she asked nonchalantly and brushed her fingertips against Emma's cheekbones.

Emma shook her head. No, there was absolutely no problem. This was exactly the position she wanted to be in. ,,Kiss me again," she almost demanded.

,,I can't think of a single thing I'd rather do," Roni assured huskily and kissed Emma.

A surprised and slightly breathless ,,Oh!" escaped Emma's lips when Roni's lips moved from to her throat instead. She hadn't expected that, but she definitely wasn't complaining.

And Roni continued to pull at the skin on Emma's neck, no doubt she was sucking hard enough to leave a mark there. But that didn't bother Emma in the slightest. _I am already yours_ , she thought to herself and couldn't quite suppress a low moan when Roni's hand skimmed up and grazed her breast through the fabric of her dress.

 _Fuck_ , _fuck, fuck_. Emma answered by locking one hand in Roni's soft curls and the other one pressing firmly against the small of Roni's back. She wanted her closer, no, she _needed_ her closer.

And as if Roni could read her mind (who knew, maybe she could), she promptly wedged a knee in between Emma's legs.

Emma felt herself arching backwards into the wall at that. It was almost too much, and not enough at the same time, and she moaned breathlessly and pulled Roni closer, almost desperate for more friction.

,, _Roni.._ " Emma gritted out.

,, _Emma_.." Roni breathed back, and hearing the brunette using her first name was almost arousing as the kiss was.

Emma grabbed her almost roughly and pulled her closer again. She grabbed onto the straps of her black tanktop and skimmed her fingers up and down the brunette's bare arms. And for some reason, Emma was finally capable of speaking her mind:

,,I want you," she almost whispered and voiced what she had wanted for quite some time now.

Roni's eyes were dark and her tone huskily as she spoke. ,,In that case, you better show me your bedroom, miss Swan. I would prefer not to do it against a wall."

Emma chuckled at that and took Roni's hand, guiding her into the bedroom. The blonde shut the bedroom door and looked pending at Roni. She suddenly felt a bit insecure. She had wanted this for so long, and now she was unsure on what to do next. Emma so wanted this to perfect, to be memorable. But she feared that her clumsiness would cause the opposite.

It seemed like Roni could sense her uneasiness, because she gently took one of Emma's hands between her own and kissed her tenderly. A different kiss this was, less aggressive and much gentler. Roni suddenly seemed far beyond Emma's years and much wiser. It really was strange, Emma mused to herself. Sometimes Roni seemed like two different people: the witty and sassy bartender who blended in anywhere, and a refined woman who spoke as if she was from a different world.

Emma's musings were interrupted when Roni gently, almost inquiring tugged at the zipper in her dress. Emma's breath hitched in her throat.

,,May I?" Roni asked quietly and looked at Emma with her dark eyes.

 _Are you really asking me that_? _Good god, who_ _are_ _you_?. Emma nodded.

,,Then please say it," Roni gently coaxed.

,,You.." her voice broke and Emma cleared her throat before continuing: ,,You may."

Emma's chest rose and fell too quickly as Roni gently unzipped her dress and slid the straps down her arms. The blonde felt how one arm was freed from the straps, and then the other one. Roni tugged at the dress until it pooled by Emma's feet.

Emma stepped out of the dress, only now realizing that she chose not to wear a bra tonight. She brought her arms up to cover herself, feeling self-conscious as never before.

Roni came up in front of her, and maybe she could sense how vulnerable Emma felt at being almost naked when she was still fully dressed. Her dark eyes never left Emma's as she pulled the tanktop over her head and dropped the garment to the floor. She reached behind her to unclasp her bra, but Emma grabbed her hand, stalled the movement. ,,Please, let me."

Roni immediately removed her hands and allowed Emma to unclasp the black lace bra.

Emma's fingers trembled uncontrollably as she dropped Roni's bra to the floor. Then she gently spun the brunette around. She was beautiful. Of course she was. Far more beautiful than what Emma's imagination had been able to come up with. Everything about her was perfect. From her full bosom to her lightly toned stomach. And what was that? Emma tilted her head when she caught sight of something small and shimmering in Roni's belly button. She quickly found out that it was a tiny, red gemstone. Unexpected, but it suited her, and it was quite.. sexy.

,,A youthful mistake," Roni half chuckled when she saw Emma's eyes wandering to the piercing.

,,It's beautiful. _You_ are beautiful."

,,And _you_ miss Swan, is absolutely _exquisite_ ," Roni breathed as she drank the image of Emma.

Emma only now realized that she had lowered her arms. There was no longer an armor between her and Roni, but she didn't get much chance to ponder about it before Roni gently put her hands on the blonde's hips and guided her backwards towards the bed.

Emma felt the back of her legs collide with the bed with a soft thud, but Roni did nothing to make her lie down. Instead she stood patiently and waited; it was obvious that she wanted Emma to make the decision on her own.

And Emma did just that. She fell backwards onto the bed and pulled Roni down on top of her. Roni instantly got the hint and glided her lips over Emma's neck and down to the top of her chest.

Emma moaned and opened and closed her fingers around the bedspread. Her body was already reacting to Roni, and a throbbing aching settled between her legs. Emma moaned again as she felt a rush of wetness join the throbbing between her legs.

Roni hummed in response to her moans and her lips travelled lower; from the top of Emma's chest to her nipple. Her lips wrapped around an already completely hard nipple, and Emma's leg jerked violently at the touch. It was like all of her senses had been heightened tenfold, like all of her dreams were coming true in this very moment.

,,You are beautiful," Roni said spontaneously as she peppered the underside of Emma's breast with featherlight kisses. Her hands wandering towards the breast she wasn't kissing to knead it.

,,And you are incredible," Emma moaned and arched into her mouth. She really was. No doubt she had tried this before.

,,I try my best," Roni chuckled hoarsely, freed Emma's nipple from her mouth and travelled lower again. Down her ribcage, and Emma shuddered and pressed her legs together as Roni kissed her stomach, once again pulling hard enough at the skin to mark her.

 _Let her mark me_ , _I don't care_ , _let the whole world know that I am hers_.

,,Roni, I'm…Fuck!" Emma moaned and couldn't finish the sentence. The wetness between her legs was already soaking her and the throbbing was getting unbearable. She needed more, no, she was _desperate_ for more.

,,What do you want me to do, dear?" Roni asked gently and looked up at the blonde.

But Emma found herself incapable of voicing what she really needed. ,,Please, I'm.. I'm so.."

,,Shh, it's okay, my dear. I've got you," Roni assured and removed Emma's stockings as she spoke.

Emma's brain seemed completely out of synch with the rest of her body, and her mind found it very different to comprehend that this was actually happening. The blonde moaned again as Roni's finger skimmed up and down her now naked thigh. Roni's lips found Emma's once more, and Emma returned the kiss like there was no tomorrow and tangled her fingers into Roni's soft curls. The steady rhythm of their lips meeting was however completely disrupted when Emma felt Roni's fingers stroking her through her panties. The blonde's leg jerked again and a throaty moan spilled from her lips.

Emma's body acted on its own accord, and her legs parted automatically. Roni was barely touching her, and she already felt completely on edge.

And finally, _finally_ Roni's fingers hooked around the waistband on her panties and brought them down her legs until Emma could kick them off.

Emma sucked in a breath as she found herself completely bared for Roni's eyes. But this time she felt no shyness; just anticipation. It felt like every last nerve in her body was burning, and Emma had never felt like this with _anyone_.

Roni's hand slipped lower and lower until…

,, _Oh_!" Emma cried out as Roni's finger brushed against the most intimate part of her.

,,Stay with me, Emma. Look at me," Roni gently urged.

Emma found that to be a damn hard request right now. Roni kept circling her with the tip of her finger, and Emma's legs jerked uncontrollably. She wasn't gonna last long after everything Roni already had put her through tonight, that was certain, and Emma moaned and cried out again. She had never really been prone to voicing her enthusiasm so loudly in bed, and yet here she was, practically screaming Roni's name.

Just as Emma felt herself been pushed closer and closer to the edge, Roni's finger suddenly left her, and Emma whimpered, actually whimpered at the loss of contact.

,,Don't fret, my dear," Roni said huskily. ,,We're not nearly done yet."

 _I really, really don't hope so_. Emma didn't say it out loud, she was far too riled up to speak at the moment.

Roni's hand slipped down once more and guided her legs further apart, and Emma's breath hitched once more when she felt the brunette's finger spreading her wetness and lightly pressing against her entrance. Roni looked pending at Emma who nodded frantically.

A slender finger entered her slowly, and Emma gasped at the sensation. Roni stroked her cheek tenderly and looked at Emma once more. Emma nodded again and moaned and bit her lip as Roni began moving slowly within her.

Emma had never believed in Paradise, but this, _this_ came fucking close to being just that. Nothing and no one would ever compare to this, and moans spilled from Emma's lips as Roni picked up the pace and curled her finger in just the right ankle.

,, _M-more,_ oh _god_ ," Emma cried without actually voicing what she wanted. She didn't even know what she was requesting right now.

But Roni seemed to know, and Emma cried out once more when a second finger was added and the pace was picked up significantly.

Two fingers thumping relentlessly against her and Roni's mouth on her breasts had Emma thrashing and crying out loud. She was so close, _so close_ , she just needed that little bit of..

,, _Ahh_!" the scream took Emma by surprise and so did the finger pressed hard against her swollen nub.

The blonde exploded and shattered into a million little pieces. White lights popped behind her eyes and a completely ragged "Roni!" was the last thing her lips uttered before her words turned into gibberish and oblivion took over her brain.

Oblivion, and yet Emma had never seen things more clearly than now. This felt so right. So perfect. They fitted together, like she had been in a waiting position until the moment arrived where she could walk into Roni's bar and meet her destiny.

It was then, and only then that Emma realized that she was still yelling nothings to the ceiling, and her body still shook with pleasure. Was she really still coming? How could that even be possible.

When Emma's head finally was clear enough for actually _thinking_ , she turned her head to the side.

Roni was lying beside her, head tilted to the side, and the way she was laying almost had something cat-like about it. When she met Emma's eye she smiled a little and looked just a bit satisfied with herself.

,,Absolutely delightful," she told Emma and gave her thigh a little squeeze.

,,Holy…" Emma didn't finish the sentence. She wasn't even sure what she was going to say.

,,That was quite the date, miss Swan," Roni quipped and brought her fingers up to her lips.

Emma swallowed thickly as Roni nonchalantly licked her fingers dry. It was probably the most erotic thing Emma had ever seen in her lifetime.

The blonde stretched her weak limps and rolled over to face Roni. She quickly leaned in and kissed Roni's lips, tasting herself on them. Then she pushed against Roni's shoulders to make her lie down properly.

,,Eager, dear?" Roni teased as she willingly lied down on her back.

,,Mhmm," Emma said and took a hard nipple between her lips. She had never been more eager to reciprocate in her life. She desperately wanted to bring Roni the same pleasure as she had given her only moments ago.

Roni instantly arched her back and tangled her fingers into Emma's hair. Emma took that as a very good sign and continued to suck and lick and tease the nipple while her hand kneaded Roni's other breast.

Roni's moans were light, tuneful, airy. Almost like music, and her legs wrapped around Emma's calf's.

,, _Emma_!"

And this Emma found incredible. Almost unbelievable. This beautiful woman wanted the blonde just as much as Emma craved her. The thought of that only made Emma even more eager, and she promptly switched side to give Roni's other breast the same treatment.

,, _Em_ ma!" Roni tightened her grip on Emma's hair and arched into the touch.

 _I think I need that noise forever. I think I need_ _you_ _forever_.

,,Emma, please. I need you." As opposed to Emma, Roni had no problem with voicing what she needed, and Emma felt how she pushed against the crown of her head, urging her lower.

 _Well, here goes nothing_. Emma removed her mouth from Roni's breast and unzipped her jeans. Roni swiftly kicked them off and looked up at Emma, silently urging her to remove the last piece of clothing.

And Emma did just that and sucked in a breath as Roni finally was completely bared for her eyes. And god, was she ever beautiful. A complete vision, sprawled out on the bed, olive skin glistening in the light.

 _How can this goddess like creature be here, in_ _my_ _bed? How is it even possible?_

,,Emma..?" Roni said and brought the blonde back to reality.

And _oh_ , how sweet reality was. Emma lowered her mouth to Roni's lower stomach, and the airy moans started anew. The brunette's stomach muscles clenched and the stone in her belly button shimmered and caught the light every time she arched her back. And for some reason, Emma found that to be incredible arousing.

,, _E_ -mma!" now it was more an order than a request, really. And Emma completely understood why. Roni was soaked and glistening and oh, so ready for her. Emma adjusted herself slightly and then she went in with her mouth, pressing a kiss to Roni's sex.

Hands instantly locked in her golden hair again, and Emma really didn't need no further guidance. It was like she already knew what Roni liked and didn't like. She lightly pressed her tongue against Roni's entrance and slipped it inside her with absolutely no resistance. Somewhere above her Roni was panting and her bent legs were trembling on either side on Emma's face.

Every moan spilling from Roni's lips encouraged Emma and she thrusted hard, harder inside her and curled her tongue against that spot.

The grip on her blonde hair tightened, and Emma could feel how Roni's hands were shaking. Emma didn't need any words between them to understand that the brunette was close, and she withdrew her tongue until only the tip of it was inside. Then she thrusted right back in and brushed against her g-spot.

As opposed to all of Emma's fantasies, Roni was so quiet when she came. No thrashing or yelling or screaming. Just rapid breathing, trembling thighs and tight stomach muscles.

Roni's fingers combed restlessly through Emma's golden hair, and Emma felt how her muscles clenched around her and the taste of her coated her tongue.

And then, with one last breathless ,, _Emma_.." Roni finally slumped back against the bed, completely spent.

That last " _Emma_ " did nothing to deflate said blonde's already over inflated ego, and she couldn't help but smile smugly and feel a tiny bit like some sort of sex goddess.

Roni finally opened her eyes again and shot Emma a smile. ,,Why do I get the suspicion that I'm hardly your first woman, miss Swan?"

Emma sniggered at that and lied down next to Roni. ,,Maybe you aren't."

Roni wrapped an arm around her and asked teasingly: ,,Will I be your last?"

 _Yes. Yes you will_. _Nobody will ever measure up to you_.

 **To Be Continued..**


	13. Chapter 13

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 13**

The next day, Emma woke up to the soft sound of rain pitter-pattering on the windows. At first, her sleep muddled brain found it ever so difficult to remember what happened last night, but then she heard a soft groan and felt a warm hand on her hip.

Oh.

Right.

Emma carefully turned around and looked at the sleeping woman lying next to her. Exactly as expected, Roni was a beautiful sleeper, gracefully sprawled out with one hand on Emma's hip and the one loosely wrapped around the bedsheet.

Emma felt a rush of happiness. To think that Roni was actually here. In her bed. It was almost too good to be true. Like a dream.

On the one hand, Emma wanted nothing more than to wake the brunette with a kiss, but on the other hand, she couldn't bring herself to pull the other woman out of her slumber. Emma considered to get out of bed and serve Roni breakfast in bed, but it seemed like such an ancient thing to do. And for now, Emma was fairly satisfied with just watching Roni sleeping, even if it was a creepy thing to do.

Roni mumbled something incoherent in her sleep, and Emma wondered what she was dreaming about, the woman in her bed. Emma hoped it was something good.

Emma herself had slept surprisingly good. Her sleep pattern had always been a bit uneven, but tonight she had slept like an infant. And she suspected it was because of the brunette occupying one half of her bed.

 _I could definitely get used to waking up like this_.

Maybe she should cook Roni breakfast after all. Yes, she definitely should, Emma decided, and rolled on to her other side. She scrabbled around after her clothes, but then she remembered that she happened to wear a dress yesterday, and there was no way she was going to do that again. Emma craned her neck and looked around after her bathrobe that normally hung on the door. maybe she left in the bathroom yesterday or something like that.

Roni muttered something again and Emma turned her head. This time, the brunette was awake and alert and grinning at Emma.

,,Good morning," she drawled and stretched her limps.

,,Hey," Emma said softly. ,,Did you sleep okay?"

,,Mhmm. I did."

,,Good. That's good."

There was a moment of silence, and Emma felt completely content with just lying and admiring the view. Because Roni was quite a vision. All tousled hair and glowing skin. And a few hickeys here and there on her neck. She smirked slyly when she spotted Emma staring at them.

,,Are you satisfied with your artwork, miss Swan?"

,,You bet I am," Emma grinned. She could get used to seeing those kinds of marks on Roni's body.

Roni chuckled and de-tangled her legs from the slightly crumpled sheets. Emma tilted her head and once again looked at the shimmering gemstone in Roni's belly button. For some reason she found it very enticing and she reached out to run her fingertip over it.

Roni sniggered. ,,Perhaps there _was_ a good reason as to why I got that piercing after all."

Emma smirked playfully and dipped down to place a light kiss just above the gemstone.

Roni sucked in a breath and Emma felt how her stomach muscles flexed like they had done it the previous night. Her slender fingers tangled into Emma's hair once more, and Emma smirked at the effect she had on the other woman. Each kiss she pressed to Roni's stomach was like gasoline on a bonfire, and the chorus of moans began anew.

 _Yep_ , _I could definitely become addicted to this_.

It seemed like Roni had absolutely no issue with a little "repeat performance", and she willingly lied back against the pillows, parted her legs slightly, and wrapped her fingers around the sheet under her.

But no matter how addicted and otherwise occupied Emma was, there was one thing she couldn't ignore. The screeching sound of a phone ringing.

At first, Emma assumed it was her phone, and she was fully prepared for letting the damn thing ring, but then Roni sniggered hoarsely at the continued screeching and gently pushed Emma's head away from her stomach. ,,That's _my_ phone ringing, dear."

Oh. Emma wasn't sure it would be polite to ask Roni to leave it be, and it was too late anyway. The brunette reached down on the floor and fished her phone out of her jeans' pocket.

,,Hello? Oh, good morning Officer Rogers. Are you done with my apartment yet? Mhmm? Great. I'll be there in ten minutes," she craned her neck and looked back at Emma. ,,No, let's say twenty minutes instead. Yeah. Thank you. Bye."

She hung up and Emma looked pending at her.

,,That was strange," Roni mused and drew her curly hair behind her ear.

,,What?"

,,My apartment was broken into alright, but apparently nothing was stolen. Just the door forced open and the place searched through."

,,That _is_ strange," Emma agreed.

,,I've got nothing valuable," Roni grinned and hopped out of bed, gathering her clothes. ,,Mind if I borrow your shower?"

,,No, of course not," Emma answered and felt just a tad disappointed that the phone had interrupted their moment.

She watched as Roni sauntered out of the bedroom and two seconds later she heard the bathroom door click.

Emma sighted a little at that, and stood from the bed as well. She opened her closet and put on a fresh set of clothes. She could also do with a shower, but obviously Roni should shower first, and the bathroom was so tiny, so sharing was out of the question. unfortunately.

Once dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, Emma trotted into the kitchen and opened the fridge. There was absolutely nothing worth serving as breakfast. Expect for a few slices of toast. She could use that. Hopefully Roni liked toast.

Emma had just stuffed the bread into the toaster when there was a knock on the door. The blonde looked up and frowned. Who the hell was that? She wasn't expecting anyone, and visitors was a rarity.

Emma went into the tiny hall and opened the door. ,,Yeah?" she said when she came face to face with a young man, probably in his early twenties, with brown hair and hazel eyes.

,,Emma!" he exclaimed, looking completely relived. ,,I finally found you!"

,,Uh, yeah. You found me," Emma said and raised an eyebrow. ,,And just who are you?"

The young man's face fell at that. ,,No. Not you too!"

,,Not me what?" Emma half chuckled. ,,Who are you?"

,,Henry. My name's Henry," the young man said with his eyes plastered to Emma's face.

,,Right then, Henry. I think you might have the wrong apartment. Or the wrong Emma," the blonde chuckled.

,,No, Emma. I have the right apartment," Henry said quietly. ,,But it would appear that I've come too late."

,,What the hell are you talking about?!" Emma snapped and began feeling rather annoyed about this completely absurd conversation.

The young man- Henry sighted and took a step forward as he spoke: ,,Don't worry. I _will_ fix this I promise."

And just like that he turned around and left Emma standing in the door.

,,What the..?" Emma muttered to herself. Now _that_ was weird. Who the hell was _Henry_ , and why did he act like he knew her? Emma had never seen him before. Maybe he was just a random lunatic who took pleasure in showing up at random people's apartments.

Emma was still muttering to herself when the bathroom door opened and Roni stepped out, fully dressed and with wet curls. She cheekily narrowed her dark eyes at Emma and said: ,,Your shower _suck_ , miss Swan."

Oh right. Emma had completely forgotten to inform her about the barely-functioning bathroom.

,,Talk about getting a "cold shower"," Roni half sniggered.

,,I'm sorry. I should have told you." Emma said a little embarrassed.

,,It's alright. I think I'll live through it," Roni chuckled and took the slice of buttered toast Emma offered her. ,,Thanks."

,,It's a pity you have to leave," Emma said and spoke her inner most thoughts.

,,Mhmm, but I better get home and make sure that nothing is missing. Who was it at the door?"

,,Some kid called Henry. He was weird. I think he might have been on something."

,,Henry, huh?" Roni frowned. ,,Peculiar. That was my father's name."

,,What a coincidence," Emma nodded.

,,Mmm. You don't meet a lot of Henry's these days."

,,No you don't."

,,Anyway," Roni took a bite of the toast and snapped her fingers to get Lady's attention. ,,I better get going."

,,I'll see you soon?" Emma asked hopeful as she walked Roni (and Lady) to the door.

Roni smiled, leaned in and then kissed Emma very tenderly on the lips. Emma didn't waste time and locked her arms around Roni's neck to prolong the moment just a little bit. She felt how she was melting into the kiss, and she wanted nothing more than to have the brunette here for just a few moments longer.

But sadly, and way too soon, Roni pulled away and dropped a featherlight kiss on Emma's forehead. ,,Of course you will, miss Swan. Come on, Lady."

With one last squeeze of Emma's hand, the brunette left and Emma watched her until she disappeared down the stairs with the red cocker spaniel trailing behind her.

Emma sighted and shut the door. The apartment felt oddly empty without Roni, almost abandoned in a way. Creepily quiet without the brunette and her dog.

 **To Be Continued..**


	14. Chapter 14

**((** **Now that the new season of Once Upon a Time soon will be upon us, I don't know whether I should continue this story or not?))**

 **Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 14:**

Emma already wanted to see her again.

No, scratch that, she _craved_ to see her again.

Roni was a drug, and Emma was the very willing user.

That was what she was. Completely addicted and most eager to see the other woman again.

It was only 24 hours since their "date", and Emma was still debating when it was appropriate for her to call the brunette. What she really wanted, was for Roni to call _her_ , but Emma wasn't sure she had the patience for that.

Was this normal, she wondered. Emma had never been in love before, she had nothing to compare with. So she wasn't completely sure whether this was normal behavior.

Did Roni think as much about Emma as Emma though about her? Emma hoped so. She had been burned before, various men and women who didn't call her back. But Roni was different. She _had_ to be.

Emma blew air on her hands in an attempt to warm them. The heater in her bug was still very much broken, and Emma didn't have the money to get it fixed. Truthfully, she didn't have a lot of money on her hands these days. Being a bails bond person didn't pay that well, and sometimes Emma found it hard to get by.

Emma's head snapped up when she spotted the woman she was following coming out of a rented hotel room. _Finally_. The blonde switched the engine on and drove quietly behind the other woman in the car.

Where the hell was she going? Where was she going to hide? She had to know that she was in a shitload of trouble. Surely, she couldn't be considering running, could she?

 _Nope, she's not getting away from me,_ Emma thought and drove faster, never losing sight of the car in front of her.

Suddenly the blackish car rounded a corner rather sharply, and the next second, a small figure ran out in front of Emma's car.

Emma practically stood on the breaks and the car came to a screeching halt in the middle of the road.

The blonde jumped out of the bug. Good god, what if she had hit someone?

Emma drew a sigh of relief when she spotted a child, a young girl standing illuminated in the car lights. She looked perfectly fine and unharmed. Thank god.

,,Are you alright?" Emma asked, just to make sure.

,,Yeah." The girl said. ,,I'm fine."

,,Thank god," Emma said and put a hand on the girls shoulder. ,,Look, kid. You can't just run out in front of cars on the streets. That shit is dangerous. I almost hit you."

,,I'm sorry," the child said. ,,I forgot to look where I was going."

,,Where _are_ you going?" Emma asked and frowned. It was pretty late at night, and Emma wouldn't be comfortable with having a young daughter running around at this hour.

The girl shrugged. ,,Nowhere."

,,That's not a place," Emma insisted. ,,Believe me, I've been searching for it for years."

,,To my dad's," the girl deflated. ,,He lives at the Bed & Breakfast."

,,Yeah, I know the place." Hyperion Heights had only one Bed & Breakfast. ,,Tell you what, I'll give you a ride back to your dad's, okay? I don't want you to run around out here so late."

To Emma's surprise, the young girl didn't protest in anyway. She simply nodded and swanned over to the Yellow Bug.

 _What a strange child_ , Emma mused. Had she been offered a ride from a stranger, she would have been more suspicious. But this child had no second's thoughts about getting into Emma's car. Strange.

Emma turned around to follow her into the car, but stopped halfway when she spotted something lying in one of the puddles on the road.

,,Hey, you dropped this," the blonde said and picked the book up. It appeared to be a storybook, with the title "Once Upon a Time". Hm. Not many children read fairy tales today.

,,My book!" the girl said and practically ripped the storybook from Emma's grasp. Emma watched as she carefully wiped the book with her sleeve and almost cradled it in her arms to keep it safe.

,,Must be one hell of a book," Emma muttered as she started the engine once more.

A short drive later they arrived at the Bed & Breakfast, and the girl jumped out of the car and craned her neck to look at Emma.

And Emma hadn't the faintest idea why she followed this strange child into the Bed & Breakfast. To make sure her dad was actually there or something like that?

Once inside the Bed & Breakfast, the girl ran through the hall and stopped at a door with the number "7" on it. She turned to Emma once more:

,,I'm sure my dad would like to thank you for bringing me back."

,,Uh.. sure," Emma said and suddenly remembered a particular episode of "Criminal Minds", where a father used his young child to lure innocent women. _You are watching too much television, Emma Swan_.

And either way, it was too late. The girl had already opened the door and ushered Emma inside in the door.

,,Dad?"

A young man came into the room, and Emma was surprised to recognize him as Henry. The guy who had come to her door.

,,Lucy!" he exclaimed, seemed relieved beyond words. ,,I was so worried about you! You can't go straying around like that, it's not safe."

,,I'm sorry," Lucy offered. ,,I promise I won't do it again, dad."

Henry crouched down and put his hand on Lucy's shoulder. ,,You must be freezing after your little adventure. I'll make you some cocoa."

Lucy seemed very excited about that, and Emma smiled to herself. Maybe this Henry fella wasn't a weirdo after all. He seemed like a good father.

Said young man turned to Emma and said. ,,Thank you so much for taking Lucy home."

,,Sure. No problem," Emma said. ,,I should probably be on my way though."

,,Wait!" Lucy interjected and batted her big, brown eyes at Emma. ,,Don't you wanna stay and have some cocoa before you go?"

 _Tempting offer_. It was no secret that Emma loved cocoa, and before she realized it, she found herself answering: ,,Yeah, sure. That would be great."

Henry made cocoa for all three of them, and they sat down at the table. Lucy chatted on, and Emma found that she was a very sweet kid. And Henry turned out to be a very kind young man. Emma couldn't help but notice that there was no sign of a woman living here. Maybe they were taking a holiday, or maybe Henry was a single father. That couldn't be easy, being a single father to a ten-year-old.

It was getting rather late, so Emma downed the rest of the cocoa. ,,Thank you for the cocoa, but I really should get going."

Lucy looked up from her storybook. ,,Already?"

That seemed to Emma to be a strange question to ask a stranger, and Henry quickly said: ,,Lucy!" and shot the girl a warning glance.

But Lucy seemed so disappointed that Emma couldn't help but put a hand on her shoulder. ,,I live here in Seattle, kid. I'm sure we'll run into each other again."

Lucy smiled again, and Emma briefly glanced over the child's shoulder to look at her storybook. There was a picture of a man in the book. A man with piercing blue eyes, dark hair and a smug little smile. Emma tilted her head. He seemed familiar, but Emma couldn't remember where she had seen him before. And then she balked at her own thoughts. This was a children's storybook, and obviously the guy was a fairytale character. It seemed a little unlikely that she should have run into a fairytale character.

Emma tore her gaze away from the image in the book and wished father and daughter a good night. Then she left the Bed & Breakfast and climbed into the bug.

But she had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach as she drove away from the Bed & Breakfast. Like she was going to be sick, but not really. A bit feverish but not quite. Maybe it was the shock of almost hitting Lucy. Or perhaps the weather. It was a grey and cold night. And a thick fog was hovering over Seattle.

Maybe she was coming down with something. Yes, that was the explanation for this weird feeling of uneasiness.

But luckily, she happened to have the perfect cure for feeling uneasy. Emma turned the bug around and drove to Roni's bar. To hell with waiting.

The bar was unusually quiet when Emma pulled up and looked inside through the window. In fact, there was only a few bargirls and Roni there, looking like they were going through some papers.

Emma stopped in her tracks. Maybe this was ill timing. It looked like Roni were busy at the moment.

But the brunette looked up and spotted Emma through the window. A smile danced on her lips as she made a "come hither" motion with her finger.

It was almost as she was pulling physically, and Emma came to think of that scene in Sleeping Beauty where princess Aurora was lured by Maleficent's voice. Not that Roni was Maleficent, and Emma certainly was no doe-eyed princess, but the comparison wasn't that much off, Emma thought to herself as she opened the door and went inside the bar.

,,Miss Swan," the brunette said and flashed Emma a smile.

The immediate relief of seeing her and hearing her voice caused Emma to lean forward and kiss her just like that.

The bargirls didn't seem too happy about that, but Roni seemed rather pleased and even a little amused as she returned the kiss. ,,To what _do_ I owe the pleasure, Emma?"

,,I had a weird night," Emma admitted. ,,But the bar is closed, so.."

,,Stay," Roni interrupted her and smiled. ,,Have a drink and tell me all about your weird night."

And so Emma did. One colorful drink later, she had told Roni everything about the girl she almost hit with her car, and Henry, who happened to be her father. She even mentioned the storybook, but for some reason not the picture of the man inside it.

And a second later she had all but forgotten the picture when Roni lowered her voice despite nobody being nearby and said: ,,As you can see, there aren't a lot of people tonight. Monday's are always fairly quiet, and I'm sure the girls can handle the customers for tonight."

Emma waited, anticipation already burning in her stomach.

,,So I was thinking.." Roni continued and took Emma's hand and squeezed it.

,,Yeah?" _That came out way more eagerly than I intended too. Shit_.

,,Would you like to come upstairs and.." Roni's dark eyes sparkled with amusement as she glanced at Emma's empty drink. ,,Have another drink, or something like that?"

 _I'm pretty sure I prefer_ " _something else_ ". ,,Yeah, I would like that."

Roni grinned again, turning to one of the bargirls. ,,Vanessa, you and the other girls can manage it for tonight, right?"

,,Sure thing, Roni."

,,Great. You see, something came up."

,,Having plans, are you?" Lila said and made a grimace.

,,Yes, dear. That's exactly what I have."

 _You bet she have._ _I'm_ _her plans, ha_!

,,Coming, miss Swan?" Roni asked silkily and held her hand out towards Emma.

 _Happily_. Emma stood from the bar chair and took Roni's hand.

They barely made it into Roni's apartment before the brunette grabbed the collar on Emma's leather jacket and kissed her fiercely.

And obviously, Emma was more than happy to return the gesture. She wrapped her arms around Roni's neck and didn't notice that they were moving before they suddenly were inside the bedroom.

Roni smirked playfully and gave Emma a little push, making the blonde squeal when she landed on the bed.

,,Roni!" Emma protested.

,,Is there a problem, Duckling?" Roni chuckled. ,,I was only gonna provide you with a bit of distraction from your "weird" night. But perhaps you don't want that?"

,,I do. I would very much like to be distracted," Emma mumbled and bit her lip when _something_ started to coil in her lower stomach.

,,Then I suggest you stop protesting dear," Roni said silkily and shrugged her denim jacket off.

And Emma had absolutely no problem with keeping her mouth shut when Roni stripped out of her shirt and climbed on top of her. The previous events of her "weird" night was long forgotten when Roni lifted the blonde's tanktop and pulled it over her head.

And when Roni gently cupped her face and brought their lips together in another kiss, Emma found herself to be exactly where she wanted to be.

Back in her Paradise.

 **To Be Continued?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 15:**

Emma was still very much in Paradise when she woke up the following day. Her limbs were comfortably sore and her clothes lied abandoned on the floor along with Roni's.

Emma sighed. This was heaven. Or, at least an earthly piece of it. The previous night had been absolutely perfect, and the feeling of Roni's velvety skin still lingered on her fingertips.

Roni. Where was she? Emma turned around. The brunette wasn't lying in the bed like she had done it the first morning, and Emma felt a little disappointed that she wasn't. She was already addicted to waking up next to the brunette, so admittedly, she was a bit disappointed that she wasn't there.

But where was she then? She didn't leave for work and left Emma alone here, did she?

Emma pulled her legs out of the tangled sheets and found her panties and pulled her tanktop over her head. Then she hopped out of bed and went into the kitchen.

She found the brunette standing by the window, gazing over Seattle with a cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Her curls were still unruly from the previous night and she was wearing a bathrobe that had slipped down slightly and revealed one bare shoulder.

Emma found her to be absolutely beautiful and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around her waist and possibly persuade her to come back to bed again, but something in Roni's expression stopped her. The brunette's dark eyes looked a bit empty. Like she was miles away.

Emma quietly cleared her throat and Roni flashed her a smile over her shoulder. But the smile looked a bit forced. Not a genuine one like the ones Emma saw yesterday.

,,Is everything okay?" Emma asked.

,,I don't know," Roni said and took a drag on the cigarette.

Emma's ability to always think the worst, immediately went haywire. Roni had regretted everything that had happened between them. Of course she had. It was too good to be true anyway. Emma couldn't possibly have stumbled over the perfect woman and expected to keep her just like that.

,,D-do you want me to leave?" Emma asked quietly, already dreading the answer.

Roni took another drag on the cigarette and almost choked on the smoke. ,,What? No! why on earth would I want that, miss Swan?"

Emma felt how her heart suddenly levitated from the pit in her stomach and returned to where it belonged instead. ,,But.. but I thought.."

,,Emma, who the hell have you been seeing before me?" Roni demanded and abandoned the cigarette.

,,Uh.. No one in particular," Emma said vaguely. ,,Mostly just quick one night stands."

 _And why the hell did I say that? Do you really want her to think you are incapable of having a relationship? good job, Emma_.

Roni sighed deeply and shook her head, sending her dark curls tumbling around her face. ,,And do you think I would have invited you to spend the night with me only to throw you out the next morning?"

,,No," Emma said and congratulated herself with the quick answer.

Roni's face softened at that. ,,When I said I didn't know whether everything was okay, I wasn't referring to you, Emma. I was referring to _that_." She pointed to the window.

Emma came over to her and looked out of the window. Seattle was coated in a thick, purple-like fog.

,,Have you ever seen purple fog before?" Roni questioned.

,,Never," Emma said and squinted her green eyes at the fog. Just what the hell was that? Fog wasn't normally purple.

,,No, me neither," Roni mused and took a swig of her coffee. She tapped her fingers on the mug and frowned.

,,What is it?" Emma asked

,,I don't know. I just have a weird feeling," Roni said, and once again she sounded like "the other woman", the refined and old-fashioned woman.

The words had barely left her mouth before Emma felt how the apartment shook in what seemed like another earthquake.

Lady yapped and came racing into the living room and jumped directly into Roni's arms.

Roni grabbed Emma's arm and guided her away from the window.

,,What the hell is going on?" Emma half-yelled through the noise coming from outside.

,,I have no idea, but I'm not sure I like it," Roni said and craned her neck to look out of the window once more.

Emma did the same, and she saw how the strange, purple fog rolled over the city in waves.

Lady whined and shook in Roni's arms.

,,Shh, it's okay, baby. It's just an earthquake. Nothing to worry about," Roni soothed and patted the dogs head.

And as fast as it had happened, the shaking subsided and Emma saw how the purple fog rolled away, leaving Seattle as normal and grey as ever.

,,What the hell was that?" Emma asked and rubbed her head. For some reason she had a headache.

,,I don't know," Roni said and put Lady down on the floor again. The brunette rubbed her temples too. ,,I don't hope anybody was hurt during this."

,,"This" seems to happen a lot," Emma observed and rubbed her arms where goosebumps had appeared.

,,Mmm. I'm guessing it's aliens," Roni quipped.

Emma laughed and just like that the mood was lightened.

Roni went over and opened the fridge. ,,Hmm, let's see. I've got bacon, eggs, toast, pancakes. Any burning requests, miss Swan?"

,,I.. what?"

,, _Breakfast_ ," Roni précised and grinned. ,,So, what can I get ya?"

 _Is she going to cook me breakfast_? _Holy shit_.

,,Uh.. I.. I don't know."

,,Fine. Then _I'll_ decide," Roni smirked. ,,How would you like to have the best scrambled eggs you've ever tasted?"

,,That sounds nice," Emma said. ,,Would you like some help?"

,,Nu-uh," Roni said firmly. ,,You sit. I'm sure you're positively _exhausted_ after last night."

Emma rolled her eyes at the innuendo and sat down at the table.

Roni was quick to make and serve the eggs, and at the first bite, Emma had to agree with her. This _was_ the best scrambled eggs she had ever tasted.

,,D'you know how beautiful you look in the morning?" Roni said almost nonchalantly and took a mouthful of the eggs.

Emma found herself blush and smile like a giddy teenager at the compliment. _You are the one who's beautiful_. _Not me_.

As if she was capable of reading Emma's mind, Roni put a hand over the blonde's. ,,You _are_ , Emma. Don't doubt that."

Emma flashed her a rather goofy smile and busied herself with the eggs to prevent herself from saying something stupid. Her mouth and especially her words seemed to live a life of its own when she was near Roni.

,,So, miss Swan," Roni said pleasantly once they'd finished breakfast. ,,What are your plans today?"

,,I don't have any," Emma said immediately, not really caring whether she had plans or not.

,,Excellent. You should stay here then," Roni grinned.

,,Are you sure?"

,,Yes indeed," Roni said and her voice dropped a few octaves as she made another "come hither" motion at Emma. ,,You see, I don't have any plans either."

Once again Emma found herself to be hypnotized by the other woman's stare. Why the hell did she always turn to putty near this woman? It seemed to be more than just simple attraction towards Roni. _I think I'm in love with you_.

The blonde didn't say that to Roni. Instead she smiled broadly as Roni wrapped her arms around her and kissed her. A kiss, Emma found herself more than willing to return. Roni's fingertips glided up and down the sides of Emma's body to finally rest upon her shoulders.

,,Bedroom?" Roni said after a good while of intense kissing.

It was most definitely a question, and she gave Emma every opportunity to say no, but she didn't. Instead, Emma suddenly felt rather ballsy and spun Roni off her feet, carrying her into the bedroom. And the brunette didn't seem to mind that one bit.

After spending most of the day doing absolutely nothing and never leaving the bedroom, Roni suddenly glanced at the clock hanging in the bedroom and sighed.

,,What is it?" Emma asked and traced a finger along Roni's collarbone.

,,I have to go downstairs and open the bar," Roni said and hopped out of bed.

,,Oh. Pity," Emma said and pouted a little.

Roni sniggered and gave her a light kiss. ,,You could come with me and help me?"

That was an offer Emma quickly accepted, and after a quick shower and an even quicker walk with Lady, both women headed downstairs.

 _I could get used to hanging out here_ , Emma thought to herself as she watched Roni walk around in the bar and preparing for the night.

,,Help me with the pool table?" Roni asked, and the two women quickly joined forces in carrying the large pool table out in the center of the room.

,,Is it pool night again?" Emma asked as they finally sat the table down.

,,Yeah," Roni answered and pushed the denim jacket off her shoulders.

Emma couldn't blame her for getting a bit sweaty. That pool table was fucking heavy.

,,Do you mind getting the shot glasses out? They're behind the counter," Roni said over her shoulder as she checked the tables for imaginable dirt.

Emma quickly found the shot glasses and flashed them at Roni to make sure she was correct in her assumption.

,,Yes, exactly," Roni grinned and watched as Emma lined the shot glasses up on the counter.

,,What?" Emma asked when she noticed Roni's gaze.

,,I say, miss Swan, you are one of the most beautiful bargirls I've ever had in here," Roni purred. ,,You fit the place."

 _Fit the place_. Emma liked that, and the blonde returned Roni's grin.

,,If you ever grow tired of being a bounty hunter, I would _definitely_ hire you," Roni continued and gave Emma a playful little nudge.

Emma could shockingly easily imagine that. Working with Roni in the bar and seeing her every day? Honestly, that sounded like a dream job.

,,I might just take you up on that," Emma smirked.

,,Would you now?" Roni breathed and crept closer to Emma. The lioness was back.

,,Mhmm," Emma drawled cheekily.

Roni laughed and reached out, but whether it was to pull her closer or nudge her again, Emma never found out, because at the same moment, the door opened and somebody stepped inside.

Emma looked over her shoulder and was surprised to see Henry coming into the bar. Well, seeing a young man coming into a bar wasn't surprising as such, it was more the state Henry was in. He was panting heavily, his cheeks were flushed as he had been running, and- was that a hole in his shirt?

,,Are you alright mate?" Roni asked and frowned, obviously she had noticed how out of it the young man looked.

Henry stopped in his tracks and stared at Roni with wide eyes. In fact, Emma wouldn't be the slightest surprised if his eyes popped out.

,,Mate?" Roni repeated. ,,Are you alright? D'ya want me to call somebody for you?"

Henry quickly recovered from whatever shock he was suffering and said: ,,No, no, I'll be fine. Is it possible to get a drink?"

,,The bar's not open yet, but sure," Roni shrugged. ,,You looked like you could need it." She quickly poured him a drink and slid it across the counter to him.

,,Thanks," Henry said and took a large swig of it.

,,How's Lucy doing today?" Emma asked. ,,I hope she wasn't too shaken about what happened yesterday?"

,,No, no, she's fine. She's staying with a friend today."

,,Tell her I said hi," Emma grinned. And then, to Roni: ,,I should probably get going before my car gets towed or something like that."

,,Right. Give me a call?" Roni said.

Emma scoffed and then spluttered, because why would Roni even ask her that? There was only one answer to that question.

,,Obviously," the blonde said and leaned forward to capture Roni's lips in another kiss. Honestly, any minute she didn't spent with kissing Roni seemed wasted.

Roni returned the kiss and chuckled a bit, but their moment was disturbed when Henry, who clearly just taken a sip of his drink, completely choked on the beverage and coughed violently.

Emma pulled away from Roni and frowned in concern. Maybe Henry wasn't feeling well.

And Roni seemed to be thinking the same. ,,Are you _sure_ you're alright there?" she asked as she handed him a napkin.

,,Yes, I'm… fine," Henry croaked and stared at both women with wide eyes.

,,No you're not," Roni dismissed. ,,But that's alright, you just stay here and enjoy your drink, okay? It's on the house."

Emma could sense that Roni probably would try and talk to Henry and maybe calm him down a little, so she decided it was her cue to leave.

,,See you later, Roni."

,,See you later, miss Swan."

 **To Be Continued..**


	16. Chapter 16

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 16:**

" _Wait, if you're afraid of losing your happy ending, that means you've found it. What is it?"_

" _Don't you know, Emma? It's you."_

" _You did it, Swan. You got your happy ending."_

" _That's not what this is. It's a happy beginning."_

Emma jerked awake. Her heart was pounding violently in her chest, and the blurred remains of the dream still lingered in her mind.

That man again. That dark haired blue-eyed man from the storybook. And herself in his arms.

Emma shuddered and rubbed her bare arms under the covers. She didn't know why she suddenly felt uncomfortable. Maybe because of how strangely realistic the dream had been. Emma rarely had realistic dreams, most of them was just a mismatch of blurred colors mixed with voices and faces.

But this one… This dream had been _so_ real that she could still feel the man's arms around her. Emma kicked the covers away and climbed out of bed. There was no way she would be able to fall asleep again.

The blonde went into the almost-not-furnished living room and plopped down on the couch. She wrapped her arms around her knees and frowned. Why had that dream felt so real, and why did she all of the sudden have a headache again?

And then there was the man whom she had seen a picture of in Lucy's storybook. Who was he? And why was she suddenly dreaming about a character from a storybook?

Emma felt strangely guilty for dreaming about some man, and she did what she preferred to do when she was stressed or anxious. She texted Roni.

" **I can't sleep**."

She expected that Roni was fast asleep and wouldn't answer until tomorrow, but to her surprise, the reply came within seconds:

" _Neither can I_ "

" **How come you can't sleep?** " Emma quickly texted back. Once again, the reply came instantly.

" _It's nothing. Just some nonsense Henry babbled on about when he was at the bar earlier. And I had a weird dream afterwards._ "

Emma frowned. Now that was quite the coincidence that both her _and_ Roni had had a weird dream on the same night.

" **What was your dream about**?" Emma texted and awaited the response.

" _If I told you, you would probably think I was crazy. Are you alright_? _why aren't you asleep_?"

" **I had a weird dream too**."

" _About what?_ "

" **Just weird stuff. It's nothing**."

" _If it was nothing, you wouldn't be texting me in the middle of the night, would you miss Swan?"_

" **No, I guess it wouldn't.** "

" _Do you want me to come over_?"

Emma blinked a little at that. Was Roni seriously offering to come over at 3 in the morning?

" **It's the middle of the night**."

" _Oh is it? You are quite perceptive, miss Swan._ "

" **You are hilarious**."

" _I'm coming over. Keep your door unlocked_."

Emma quickly rose from the couch and unlocked the door. Then she slipped into a bathrobe and gazed out of the window. The street was lighted up by a streetlamp, so it should be fairly easy to see Roni's old car when it came driving up the road.

Emma waited.

Five minutes passed.

Ten minutes.

Emma looked at her watch. Maybe there was a bit of traffic on the road.

Fifteen minutes.

Now Emma was starting to feel a bit worried, actually. Normally, a drive from Roni's place to Emma's apartment took roughly about ten minutes if you were speeding, which Roni often did. And now, fifteen minutes later, there was no sign of the brunette.

Emma picked up her phone. She decided to give Roni five minutes more, otherwise she would call her.

So she waited once more. And even extended the given time a bit.

But once it had been twenty five minutes since Roni announced that she would come over, Emma found herself to be in a state of panic. What if something had happened to the brunette? What if she had been involved in a car crash? What if she had driven into a tree? What if she had been snatched by someone?

 _Woah, easy there Emma. Who on earth would want to snatch Roni? Your imagination is spiraling out of control again. She told you she can do self-defense, right_? _Don't be ridiculous_.

The attempts of calming herself didn't work as intended. Emma had a gnawing feeling that something was wrong, so once it had been thirty minutes exactly, she went into her bedroom and shrugged some clothes on. Once that was done, she jogged down the stairs and hopped into her yellow bug.

A short drive later, Emma arrived outside Roni's and went around the back to go up the stairs. Once she reached Roni's door, she immediately started banging on it.

,,Roni? Roni are you there? Is everything alright?"

No answer. Just the sound of Lady's frantic barking.

,,Roni?" Emma tried again. ,,If you're in there, please answer me. You're freaking me out."

Still no answer. Just barking and scratching on the door. The silence in Seattle was actually a bit creepy, and Emma felt goosebumps appearing on her skin. She looked around. Roni's car was gone. Maybe she _had_ been in an accident. Or maybe she had been attacked and whoever did it stole her car or something like that. Maybe she was lying helpless behind the door.

Emma felt the panic rise in her chest, and she couldn't keep the panic out of her voice when she said: ,,Alright. If you don't open this door within five seconds, I'm breaking it down. Believe me, I'm capable of that."

Emma was mentally preparing herself to actually force her way into Roni's apartment when the doorknob was pressed down, and somebody appeared in the tiny crack.

Emma stared. It wasn't Roni. Instead it was…

,,Lucy?" the blonde said and blinked. ,,W-what are you doing here?"

Lucy stepped aside so Emma could come inside. Once she entered the apartment, the girl immediately slammed the door and locked it again. Her brown eyes were wide with fear and her lower lip quivered slightly.

Emma put a hand on her shoulder. ,,Hey. What's going on? What are you doing here? Where's Roni?"

,,She went to look after my dad," Lucy said and picked Lady up and clutched the dog to her chest.

,,Henry? Where is he then?" Emma asked and tried to figure out what was going on.

,,I-I don't know," Lucy stammered. ,,He never came home last night, and yesterday he said he was going to Roni's bar. That's why I came here. To see if she knew where he was."

,,And?"

,,And she told me to wait here while she went looking after him, and now she's gone too!"

Emma's mind was spinning. Henry disappeared late last night, and Roni had been gone approximately thirty minutes. It wasn't that long, and she _could_ very well be on her way back with Henry right now.

But Emma didn't like it. There was something about it that seemed off.

She couldn't very well say that to Lucy, so instead she kneeled down and patted the girls shoulder. ,,I'm sure they are on their way back as we speak, kid."

But Lucy violently shook her head at that. ,,No, Emma. You don't understand. Somebody took them!"

 _Somebody took them_. The sound of that gave Emma a Jack The Ripper-y vibe, and it sounded like complete madness. Somebody randomly snatching adults from the street. ,,Who on earth should have taken them, honey? Your dad seems like a strong guy, and Roni is tough. The one who tries to take her would probably end up with a bloody nose."

Lucy looked like she was close to tears now, and Emma desperately wanted to soothe her. ,,Hey, hey. They are fine, alright? Your dad's fine."

,,No they aren't," Lucy said. ,,It's _her_. She's the one who did this. All of this."

Emma wondered if Lucy had reached some sort of panic-y state and was babbling nonsense, but still the blonde indulged her: ,,Who are you talking about?"

Lucy promptly went over to Roni's kitchen table and opened her storybook. ,,Her." the girl said firmly and pointed to a very regal looking woman. ,,Lady Tremaine."

 _Lady Tremaine, seriously_? _Lucy must be completely out of it._ ,,But that's just a book, kid. Lady Tremaine doesn't exist."

,,Yes she _does_!" Lucy insisted, and when Emma opened her mouth to protest, the girl grabbed her arm. ,,Emma, she _does_. Everything in this book is real. It's everything else that's fake."

,,Everything else?" Emma echoed and considered to call a doctor for Lucy. The blonde was wondering why she was still engaging in this crazy conversation when she should be calling the police and report Henry and Roni missing instead.

,,Hyperion Heights doesn't exist," Lucy said. ,,The town hasn't ever existed. It's made up."

,,Made up by _who_?"

,,Lady Tremaine."

,,Alright," Emma said slowly. ,,Why, exactly?"

,,To keep my mother and father separated. Don't you see? Everything is fake. You and gran- Regina and Gold and Killian don't belong here."

 _Killian_. _something_ in Emma's brain stirred at the mention of that name, but she quickly shook the weird feeling off and asked: ,,Who is Regina?"

,,Roni. Her real name is Regina," Lucy explained. ,,She was once a queen."

 _Okay, this is ridiculous._ ,,And who am I then?"

,,You are Emma Swan-Jones, the Savior and my dads mother."

Emma gaped. And stared. And gaped. And stared. And opened her mouth to try and say something.

" _Are you Emma Swan?_

" _Yeah. Who are you?"_

" _My name is Henry. I'm your son."_

" _Okay kid. How about an address?"_

" _44 I'm-not-telling-you-street."_

" _Oh, kid. You have problems."_

" _Yep, and you are gonna fix them."_

,,Emma?" Lucy's voice brought her back.

,,I… my head hurts," Emma said and clutched the back of her head.

,,That's a part of the curse," Lucy said eagerly and grabbed her hand. ,,You are starting to remember!"

And Emma, still with her eyes squeezed shut saw a multitude of faces flashing before her inner eyes. The man. The dark-haired man with blue eyes again. A pixie haired woman with kind, green eyes along with a fair-haired man with his arm around her shoulder.

And finally, Roni. But she looked different. Was dressed different, acted different, spoke different. Carried herself differently and looked sadder somehow. Always a kind of sadness in her dark eyes.

Emma panicked. She didn't want Roni to be sad or change in anyway. Roni _couldn't_ change, shouldn't change. She was.. well, _Roni_. The curly haired, denim clad bartender Emma fell in love with.

,,Emma?" Lucy said.

,,No," Emma said firmly. ,,No. What you are telling me is completely madness."

,,Emma, you _have_ to believe me!" Lucy begged. ,,You've seen the magic roll over the city, and you've felt the earthquakes. A part of you _know_ that this isn't right."

,,No," Emma said again. ,,I don't remember anything. I don't _want_ to remember."

 **To Be Continued?...**


	17. Chapter 17

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 17:**

Emma shook her head to make the muddled "memories" disappear. She didn't believe Lucy's nonsense one bit, that her whole life here in Hyperion Heights somehow should be fake. No, it was impossible to think that there was some big bad villain who was puppet mastering all of them.

She had to stick to the facts. And the facts were that Roni and Henry were missing, and Emma had a hunch that the police wouldn't be much help. So there was only one thing to do really…

Emma reached inside her jacket. Her gun was still nestled inside her pocket. Good. The blonde then put a hand on the doorknob.

,,Where are you going?" Lucy asked and grabbed hold of Emma's sleeve.

,,I'm gonna find Henry and Roni and bring them back," Emma said as it was the most natural thing in the world.

,,I'm coming with you," Lucy said and grabbed the storybook.

,,You are _not_ ," Emma said firmly. ,,It could be dangerous, kid. You have to stay here."

,,Of course it's dangerous," Lucy said and shrugged. ,,Lady Tremaine is dangerous, and she's the one who has them."

,,Kid.."

,,I know you don't believe me," Lucy interrupted. ,,But I know where she lives. I know where she's keeping them."

Emma wasn't very keen on bringing a child with her to some insane lady's house, but it seemed like she hadn't a choice. And she wasn't interested in wasting time on useless discussions.

,,Alright. But you will have to stay in the car, okay?"

,,I want to help!" Lucy insisted.

Emma shook her head. ,,If she really is as dangerous as you claim, then there's no way I'm bringing you inside."

,,But.."

,, _And_ ," Emma continued. ,,If I'm really Henry's mother, then it makes me your grandmother, right? And you are supposed to listen to your grandmother. Not argue with her."

That seemed to do the trick. Lucy dropped the discussion and looked at Lady. ,,What about Lady?"

,,What about her?"

,,We can't just leave her alone here. She would be unhappy!"

Emma sighed. This "rescue" mission was turning into a bloody theater production. A child _and_ a dog.

But nevertheless, Emma scooped Lady in to her arms, took Lucy by the hand and let her out of the apartment and into the yellow bug.

,,Okay, kid. Where does she live then? This _Lady Tremaine_?" Emma asked and wrinkled her nose.

Lucy opened the storybook, and Emma's eyes widened when she saw a complete map over Hyperion Heights inside it.

,,She lives… here!" Lucy said and pointed to the map. ,,She owns a house up on the hill. So she's able to overlook the city."

,,Like a proper puppet master," Emma muttered halfheartedly and drove towards the hills.

,,Yes, exactly," Lucy said seriously.

,,You really believe that, don't you? That she's puppet mastering all of us?"

,,She _is_ ," Lucy said and her brown eyes burned. ,,She cursed all of you. But I don't think she meant to. I think something went wrong."

,,What do you mean?" Emma asked and kept her eyes on the road.

Lucy adjusted Lady on her lap. ,,I think she only meant to curse my mom and dad to keep them apart. You and Killian and Reg- Roni and Gold getting swept up was an accident."

,,One hell of an accident," Emma said flatly. But something nagged her. Killian. _Killian_. Who was he? Why was that name so familiar?"

,,What are you going to do to her?" Lucy asked and pulled Emma out of her thoughts.

,,To who?"

,,Lady Tremaine."

,,Uh.. I haven't given that much thought," Emma admitted. ,,Let's just find your dad and Roni first, alright?"

,,She'll try to fight you," Lucy said worriedly. ,,She won't let you get them back that easily."

,,And why is that?"

,,Because she hates my mother."

,,And _who_ is your mother?"

,,Cinderella."

Emma nearly drove into a tree when she turned her head to look at Lucy. ,, _Really_?"

,,Yep." Lucy said, completely unfazed by Emma's disbelief.

,,Right."

Emma preferred not to comment on it. Her head was already hurting enough because of the surprise rescue mission. Instead she focused on the road. They were nearly out of Hyperion Heights when Lucy suddenly pointed to a-barely-there-road and said: ,,She lives up that road."

Emma briefly wondered whether her tires and the ancient engine would be able to drive up that steep hill. _Come on,_ she silently begged the car. If the yellow bug chose this moment to fail, they would really be screwed.

But luckily, the bug kept going, and they soon pulled up in front of a gigantic looking mansion. With a very tall black fence.

,,Jesus Christ," Emma muttered. The house looked like something straight out of a fucking horror movie. Every single instinct told Emma to turn the Bug around and drive away as fast as possible. But the thought of Roni inside that hell house made Emma's bravery flare up. There was no way she was driving away without the brunette and Henry.

,,Stay where you are and duck if anybody passes by, got it?" she said sternly to Lucy. ,,And make sure Lady stays quiet."

,,I will Emma. Be careful," Lucy said with wide eyes.

Emma nodded as she exited the car. She might not believe the bullshit about the owner of the hell house being a freaking fairytale character, but it was obvious that Lucy was terrified of Lady Tremaine.

Emma opened the enormous gate and cringed when it creaked loudly. If the owner of the house heard that, her rescue mission would be over way sooner that she had intended.

Emma was in luck. Nobody came storming out in the driveway, and the blonde quickly noticed that there was no car there either. Could she really be so lucky that nobody was home? She crept closer to the huge mansion and silently put a hand on the doorknob. She pressed it down, and to her surprise, the door was unlocked. _You really are in luck, Swan_ , she congratulated herself as she went inside. With the gun raised Emma went into the hall. The house was completely dark and quiet, and she wondered where its occupant was right now. Hopefully not lurking somewhere in the dark.

And where the hell was Henry and Roni? Obviously, Emma knew better than to shout after them, but the house seemed almost _too_ quiet. It was a bit alarming. Emma continued her journey into the living room. No sign of anyone. She crept back in the hallway and continued into the next room.

Kitchen. No sign of anyone.

Bathroom. Empty.

Bedroom. Too big for one person and very much empty.

Only one thing to do then. Emma ventured up the stairs to the second floor. As opposed to the rest of the house which was packed with modern, expensive looking furniture, the second floor had very few furniture, and they looked positively medieval too. Almost like something out of a… Well, a fairy tale.

 _No, stop. That is absolutely ridiculous_ , Emma said firmly to herself. If she was going to succeed in this, she needed to concentrate and not engage in Lucy's crazy talk.

Emma rounded a corner and was surprised to see another staircase. Not as grand as the first one, but still a staircase. Leading up to what seemed to look like a tower. How many people had a _tower_ in their houses? And what could possibly be in that tower? More kidnapped people?

Dreading the worst and still with her gun held high, Emma went up the stairs and pushed the wooden door open. She had reached a completely round room without any windows. But what a room.

Emma's jaw dropped as she looked around. The walls were plastered- no, _covered_ with what looked like a large police board covered with pictures. And all of them were of herself, Roni, Henry, and a couple of other people Emma didn't know. There was quite a few of a young woman with dark hair and brown eyes. Lucy's eyes.

Emma squinted her green eyes. The picture of herself was connected to pictures of a pixie haired woman with eyes the same shade as Emma's, and a man with blonde hair and blue eyes. The pictures of the unknown man and woman were placed above the picture of Emma, and the blonde realized that she had seem those people for her inner eye when Lucy kept babbling on about the whole thing being fake.

And then there was another thing. Her picture was also connected to the picture of a man. A dark-haired man with blue eyes.

 _That man again_. _Who is he_?

Once again, Emma felt weird, and that strange headache came back in full force. She turned to Roni's picture. She wasn't connected to anybody. _Why_ wasn't she connected to anybody? All the other people on the board were connected to someone, so why wasn't she? When Emma looked a bit closer she saw a large question mark between Roni's picture and her own.

Just how much did this crazy lady living in this house know? Had she.. had she been _watching_ them?

Emma's gaze fell upon the dark-haired blue-eyed man again, and she clutched her head.

" _I'll never stop fighting for us. All you have to do is trust me_."

" _When I win your heart, Emma, and I will win it, it will not be because of any trickery, it will be because you want me_."

" _You traded your ship for me_?"

" _Aye…._ "

And then the blurry sceneries featuring the unknown man dissolved into nothing and was replaced by Roni smiling to her from behind the counter, Roni's eyes lighting up, Roni's lazy smile when they woke up together and Roni drawling "miss Swan" and grinning.

Emma's eyes snapped open at the sound of a creak coming from downstairs. Had "Lady Tremaine" returned home from her nightly excursion? Emma peaked out of the door. Nothing to see.

But either way, she had wasted enough time up here. Obviously, it was one crazy lady who lived here, and Emma was done with this mind-fucking already. She needed to find Roni and Henry.

So she returned downstairs and frowned. Where the hell could they be? She had searched everywhere. Lucy had been sure they were here, but apparently that wasn't the case. So where? Did this insane lady have an underground prison or something like that?

Another creak made Emma jump, and she whirled around, determined not to be taken by surprise by anything or anyone. Something on the floor suddenly caught her attention. At first she assumed it was a shadow or something like that, but then she realized it was a hatch in the floor.

Emma quickly bent down and pulled the handle. The hatch opened and revealed a latter. _So that's how we're playing. A secret basement._

The blonde clearly heard muffled voices coming from the dark basement, so she wasted no time in opening the hatch completely and climbing down the latter.

The basement was completely dark, and Emma wished she had brought a flashlight or something like that. She fumbled her way and tripped over something before she finally reached a light switch and flicked the lights on.

The basement was instantly bathed in light, and Emma quickly spotted both Henry and Roni there. Emma gaped at "Lady Tremaine's" lunacy. Her prisoners seemed to have been fucking _chained_ to a hook in the ceiling with their arms above their heads.

Roni blinked at the bright light and without looking up, she muttered: ,,I swear to God if that's her coming back to gloat again, I'm gonna…"

,,Emma!" Henry interrupted and yanked at the chain. ,,How.. what?"

,,I don't think this is the time for explanations," Emma said. ,,Let's just say you have a very clever daughter."

,,Just for the record," Roni half-smirked, delighted to see Emma. ,, _This_ is not how I intended to spend my night. Just what kind of kinky shit is this crazy bitch living here into?"

,,That is a very good question," Emma said and lowered her gun and started to work on the chains.

,,Any chance you can get these chains off, miss Swan? My wrists are too much out of practice for this."

Emma was rather impressed that Roni was able to joke about the matter, but Henry seemed uncomfortable again and started at the floor.

,,One sec," Emma mumbled and pulled at the chain. The hook in the ceiling creaked, and after several minutes of hard pulling, the whole thing came loose and clattered noisily to the floor.

,,Much appreciated, dear," Roni said and rubbed her wrists.

,,Are you alright?" Emma said, dropped the gun to the floor and freed her completely from the heavy chain and put a hand on her shoulder.

,,Fine and dandy," Roni assured. ,,Nothing to worry about."

,,Henry? Are you alright?" Emma asked and turned to the pale looking young man.

,,Yeah. I'm alright. But Lucy? Is she alright?"

,,She's fine," Emma said quickly. ,,She's in the car."

,,Thank god."

,,Let's get out of here," the blonde said and grabbed Roni and Henry by the arm to guide them towards the door.

,,I'm sorry dear. But nobody is going _anywhere_ ," a fourth voice said.

Emma spun around and saw a woman standing in the doorway. With Emma's own gun in her hand.

 _Shit_.

,,That was a daring rescue, Savior," the woman said. ,,I must admit that I'm impressed. But I'm afraid I can't let any of you go."

,,And why not? What the hell is your problem?" Emma spat and glared at her.

,,My _problem_ is that young Henry here had a bit too much to drink and started flapping his gums to the wrong person," the woman almost purred and twirled the gun between her fingers.

,,What are you talking about?" Emma demanded.

But the woman ignored her and smiled coldly at Henry. ,,Isn't that right, Henry? I really couldn't risk _Roni_ here started to ask questions. So both her and Henry had to disappear. But I must admit I'm surprised you came to their rescue that quickly, Emma. What did the trick? Lucy begging you to safe her father? Or the safety of your little bartender?"

Things suddenly made sense for Emma. The empty driveway. The unlocked front door. It had all been too easy. _She set you up, you idiot. She had planned the whole thing_!

,,This is very satisfying I must say. Gaining an extra prisoner just like that," the woman said and smiled as she twiddled with the gun.

Emma's heart sank.

,,But on second thoughts," "Lady Tremaine" pondered. ,,It seems a bit risky. You, Emma, you are already partly awake. I simply can't risk you getting away." She aimed the gun directly at Emma. ,,I'm sorry, Savior. But this is where your story ends."

And then everything suddenly happened very fast. The one moment "Lady Tremaine" was aiming the gun directly at Emma and pulled the trigger, and the next second, Emma found herself being shoved roughly out of the way by Roni who ended up directly at gun point.

The shot fired and caused the entire basement to shake. The noise roared in Emma's ears and she grabbed Henry by the collar and forced him down on the floor.

 _Roni. No. No. No. No._

Emma squeezed her eyes shut, but a faint, purple light still burned through her eyelids. Once the noise had died down, and the dust had settled, she carefully raised her head from the floor. Emma was afraid to look up, afraid of what was going to meet her eyes. Because there was no way Roni would have survived that.

But when Emma finally looked up she saw Roni stand upright and seemingly unharmed. "Lady Tremaine" on the other hand was lying unconscious on the floor.

,,Are you alright?" the brunette asked and grabbed the very pale looking Henry by the arm.

,,What are you talking about?!" Emma barked. ,,You just threw yourself into a bullet!"

,,The shot must have backfired or something like that," Roni said.

 _Backfired? No way. I totally heard the gun go off._

,,How the hell did you do that?" Emma demanded.

Roni turned her palms upwards. ,,I have no idea. Now can we please get out of here before crazy bitch wakes up?"

,,Fine by me," Henry muttered.

All three of them quickly climbed out of the basement, and Henry promptly shut the hatch, to trap "Lady Tremaine" for as long as possible.

Once out of the mansion, they were greeted by Lucy who jumped into Henry's arms. ,,Dad! Are you alright? Did she hurt you?"

,,I'm alright," Henry quickly assured and hugged Lucy tightly. ,,There's nothing for you to worry about."

,,And Lady Tremaine?"

,,In the basement. Unconscious for now."

Lucy looked like she wanted to ask more questions but Henry said: ,,I'll tell you everything later, I promise, Luce. But right now we have to get out of here, alright?"

Lucy nodded.

Roni put a hand on Emma's shoulder. ,,Are you alright with driving, Emma?"

 _Me?_ _I'm_ _fine. You are the one who somehow avoided getting gunned down. How the fuck did you even do that_?

,,I'm alright," Emma said as all four of them climbed into the Bug. ,,Where to?"

,,My bar," Roni said and hugged Lady into her chest. ,,I think we all need a drink after this."

,,What about me?" Lucy interjected.

,,You can have a soda," Roni half laughed and squeezed the girls shoulder.

They quickly reached Roni's bar. Henry and Lucy stayed exactly long enough for Henry to have a beer and Lucy to have a soda. Once they finished their drinks, Henry thanked Emma again and again for coming to his rescue, and once Emma had dismissed his apology and smiled, he surprised the blonde by hugging her tightly. And once again, Emma felt completely overwhelmed by _something_. But she didn't have time to ponder about it for long before father and daughter disappeared out of the bar and into the night.

,,What did she mean?" Emma immediately asked Roni once they were alone.

,,Who?"

,,That crazy bitch. What did she mean by "Henry started flapping his gums to the wrong person"? what did he _say_?"

Roni shrugged. ,,I assume it was just drunken nonsense, but he started to talk how Hyperion Heights didn't even exist, none of it were real, and apparently we are all cursed and have forgotten how things really are."

 _So basically, the same stuff Lucy kept talking about._ Emma considered it. She had already been confronted with madness once tonight, and the thought of both Henry and Lucy should be crazy seemed well.. crazy. For some reason she couldn't think ill of Henry.

Roni thoughtfully leaned over the counter. ,,He went on and on for hours. I don't think I've ever heard the word _curse_ used so many times."

,,Do you believe him?" Emma asked plainly, eager to know whether Roni had picked up on the strange atmosphere looming over Hyperion Heights.

Roni's gaze turned a little unfocused, almost like she was trying to see inside herself or something like that, but then her expression switched over to her usual playful attitude. ,,Of course I don't. He was pretty wasted, and honestly, I'm fairly satisfied with my life. I see no reason as to why someone should have cursed me into having this life."

,,I agree," Emma said and put a hand over Roni's. ,,If being with _you_ is a part of the curse, then I never want to wake up again."

 **To Be Continued?**


	18. Chapter 18

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 18:**

Emma found it very hard to believe that _this_ should be fake when she woke up the following morning, curled up in bed next to Roni. The blonde had insisted upon spending the night at Roni's. There was no way she would let the brunette sleep alone after what had happened.

Roni had seemed relatively unfazed by the whole kidnapping thing, and Emma was in awe. To think it took more than a kidnapping to rattle this woman.

Emma looked at the brunette. She was so beautiful in the morning. All tousled hair and stretched out limbs. How could this thing that was happening between them be fake? To Emma it seemed so very real. But the tiniest bit of her still doubted, so she reached out and cupped Roni's cheek. Roni stirred but didn't wake up, so Emma decided to give her a proper wake up call. Not only because she deserved it after last night, but also because some small desperate part of Emma needed to feel her. Needed to feel that she was actually here, and not some beautiful illusion created by a curse.

Emma started out slowly and kissed Roni's palm. Then slowly up her wrist until she reached the feather tattoo. She didn't know why, there was just something about that tattoo.

Roni stirred again and muttered something. Emma took that as a good sign and pressed her lips gently to the brunette's cheek. Roni muttered something again, but didn't open her eyes, and Emma was secretly amused. She had finally found a woman who slept as heavily as she did.

But a sleeping Roni didn't quite go along with what Emma had in mind, so the blonde found Roni's lips with her own and kissed her sleeping beauty awake.

Roni's eyelids fluttered, and finally she opened her dark eyes and looked at Emma. ,,Good morning, miss Swan."

,,'Morning," Emma said and wasted no time in rolling over and straddling Roni's waist.

A sly grin appeared on Roni's face. ,,You are quite overwhelming in the morning, dear. Did you know that?"

,,Nu-uh," Emma denied and dipped down to kiss Roni's throat. Roni responded by gliding her fingers through Emma's golden locks.

,,Is the sight of me sleeping really so arousing for you, Em- _ma_?" Roni teased and hummed in appreciation when Emma pulled her shirt down just a little to kiss her collarbone.

,,You are arousing no matter what," Emma stated firmly and sneaked a hand under Roni's t-shirt to glide her hand over the brunette's bare skin. Roni squirmed when Emma's finger grazed the tiny gemstone in her belly button.

,,What is it with you and that piercing?" Roni questioned.

,,I like it," Emma said plainly as her hand continued the little journey upwards until she was able to palm Roni's breast. ,,But not as much as I like _these_ ," she continued with a grin and palmed both breasts.

Roni hissed, a raspy little sound in the back of her throat and said: ,,I'm afraid we're gonna have to work on your ability to dirty talk, miss Swan."

,,And why is that, Roni?" Emma replied innocently and zeroed in on Roni's nipples.

,,Because you- _oh god_!- sound like a bloody teenager who's never seen a naked woman before."

,,You are not naked," Emma stated even more innocently.

,,I suspect you are gonna rectify that in a moment."

,,And how right you are," Emma grinned. ,,Arms up."

Roni willingly raised her arms, allowing Emma to pull the nightshirt over her head. As much as Emma wanted to ravish the brunette, she leaned back and admired the almost naked Roni. God, that woman was a vision. Emma was sure that she would never not be affected by the other woman's beauty. No matter how much time passed, Roni would always call out to her like a siren.

Roni grinned slyly again and cocked an eyebrow. ,,Seeing something you like, miss Swan?"

,,Yes." Understatement of the year, but Emma didn't have anything better to say at the moment.

,,Then why is it that you're not doing anything about it, dear? You didn't just wake me up to stare at me, did you?"

,,No. Duh!" Emma said and resumed the task of kneading Roni's breasts.

,,"Duh"?" Roni echoed and arched her back. ,,As I said, we _really_ need to work on your language."

,,Complain about my language one more time and I'm gonna stop what I'm doing," Emma warned, although there was no way in hell she would stop doing _this_.

,,My lips are sealed," Roni vowed and chuckled.

And Emma celebrated her victory by finding Roni's nipple with her mouth and massaging the brunette's other breast with her hand.

The language lesson was long forgotten, and Roni moaned and thrashed and clutched at Emma's back.

Emma was thoroughly enjoying being back in her paradise. She could spend _hours_ doing this. Teasing her beautiful bartender who for some inexplicable reason had chosen _Emma_ of all people to share her bed. Emma still couldn't quite fathom that. That Roni wanted _her_. That Roni got _turned on_ and moaned _her_ name when the blonde touched her. It was unbelievable, and Emma once again thanked whoever god was out there for blessing her with _this_.

,,Emma?" Roni's voice brought the blonde out of her musings.

,,Mhhmm?" Emma replied and swiped her tongue over a hard nipple.

,,Would it be too much trouble for you to just _fuck_ me already?"

That question sent a shiver down Emma's spine, and she felt how her neck was going flush. Unlike herself, Roni was an expert in choosing the right moment for vulgar language.

,,Would you like that, Roni?" Emma asked innocently and slid Roni's panties down her legs.

Roni groaned something that sounded like "damn you!" and grabbed Emma's hand, promptly guiding it in between her legs.

Emma smirked when she found nothing but soaking wetness between Roni's legs. ,,So ready already."

,,Emma, dear. Don't force me to take care of it myself," Roni warned silkily and attempted to bring her own hand down.

Emma quickly swatted the hand away. ,,Don't you _dare_ ," she growled.

,,Then I suggest you…" the rest of the sentence died on Roni's lips and was replaced with a new chorus of moans when Emma finally took mercy on her and found her clit with her fingertip.

And why spend time on teasing the brunette when all Emma wanted was to feel her fingers fisting her hair and her legs trembling? No, no more teasing, Emma decided as she finally lowered her mouth and gave Roni a testing swipe with her tongue.

The other woman's reaction didn't disappoint. Roni immediately grabbed Emma's hair tightly and locked her legs around Emma's neck.

 _God, someday that woman is gonna be the death of me_. To Emma, sex had never been this… enjoyable. More something she sought out when she had an itch she couldn't scratch on her own. But with Roni it was different. Roni encouraged Emma to make an effort instead of sticking to her usual "let's get this thing over with".

And Roni definitely appreciated the effort. Although, Emma couldn't actually _see_ her, she could feel the other woman's fingers tighten in her hair and her breathing going rapid.

,, _Emma_ …" Roni warned and her legs began to tremble around Emma's neck.

 _Yes, say it again. Keep saying my name. Don't ever stop_. Emma curled her tongue slightly and Roni's back arched and she started babbling a string of nonsense in a mismatch with Emma's name.

Had Emma been in a position to smirk, she would have done it right now, but she didn't. Instead she thrusted her tongue harder and faster and made tight circles on Roni's sensitive bundle of nerves.

Roni's cries of pleasure echoed in the bedroom and Emma relished in every single sound her actions drew from the other woman's lips. _To imagine_ _I_ _did this to her_!

Roni was still trembling when Emma freed herself from the other woman's legs and cradled the brunette in her arms.

,,Did I _fuck_ you satisfyingly enough?" Emma teased.

,,Mhmm, that was good," Roni mumbled, still with her eyes closed and still coming down from her high. It was obvious that she wasn't all there right now, so Emma gave her a minute and busied herself with kissing the brunette's wrist instead.

Roni finally opened her eyes and stretched her limbs out. She flashed Emma a sly grin. ,,That was _quite_ the wakeup call, miss Swan."

Emma almost giggled and once again felt like a giddy teenager. ,,So I've impressed you."

,,Mmm, you could say that," Roni drawled and rolled on to her side to cup Emma's cheek. ,,Do you have any idea how grateful I am that you chose to walk into _my_ bar that night?"

Emma put her hand over Roni's. ,,I guess it was fate. If you believe in that."

,,I'll have to get back to you on that one," Roni mused. ,,Fate's always been a bit of a mystery to me, but if I should believe in _something_ , I would chose to believe in you. You seem like a safe bet." She leaned forward and kissed Emma while her hands curled around the edges of Emma's tanktop and slowly pulled it of the blonde.

Emma smiled like an idiot. Paradise seemed awfully close to earth right now.

And Emma chose to stay in Paradise. She and Roni grew closer and closer, and Emma found herself to stay in Roni's apartment more and more often. And suddenly, it had been six weeks. Six weeks where Emma hadn't been in her apartment at all. But she didn't care. She didn't give two shits about whether her landlord would kick her out or not, let him. That would give her a perfect excuse to stay here with the brunette and her cocker spaniel forever.

It was strange, really. Waking up to Roni every single day seemed like a dream come true, and Emma found herself smiling constantly because of it. Had she ever been this happy before? No. Of course she hadn't. Meeting Roni had changed _everything_.

The only little crack in her happiness was her still more and more strange dreams about another life in a strange town she never could remember the name of. And the mysterious, blue eyed man again. The one whose picture were in Lucy's storybook. Emma never mentioned these dreams to Roni, didn't wanna upset her, but the blonde still found it strange and a bit unnerving to be honest. She didn't _want_ to dream about strange men and let Lucy's crazy talk about curses get to her. This, _this_ was real. The life she had with Roni was real, no doubt about it. No curse could have brought them together.

One morning, when Roni just had served both of them pancakes, and they were laughing and teasing each other over breakfast, and Emma smiled.

,,What is it?" Roni asked and put her hand over Emma's.

,,I'm just happy," Emma beamed.

,,So am I miss Swan. People like you don't come out of thin air."

Emma was going to say something ridiculously sentimental, but their moment was interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

The loud banging on the door continued, and Emma frowned. ,,Are you expecting anybody?" she asked Roni between mouthfuls of pancake.

,,Nope," Roni said and walked over to the door. ,,Alright, alright, I'm coming! No reason to be so aggressive, damn it!"

She opened the door, and Emma quickly forgot everything about the pancakes when she saw Henry standing outside. The young man looked very serious and determined.

,,Henry?" Roni said pleasantly. ,,Just in time for breakfast. Would you like to come inside?"

,,No thanks. We have to go," Henry said and glanced from Emma to Roni.

,,"We"?" Emma echoed and walked over to Roni. ,,What do you mean?"

Henry spoke very fast: ,,Lady Tremaine is planning something. I'm not sure what, but something huge. And it's not gonna end well for the people living here."

Roni rolled her eyes. ,,Lady Tremaine? Oh god, not this again. It's too early for crazy talk." She tried to close the door, but Henry got his foot inside.

,,You may not believe in the curse, but you have to believe in this, it's dangerous to stay here. You _have_ to go."

He seemed so genuine, so desperate, and something in his eyes made Emma take a step closer to him. ,,What are you talking about? What is she planning?"

,,I don't know," Henry said. ,,But she never meant for you two or Killian and Gold to end up here. She only wanted me and Lucy and…"

,,Lucy's mother?" Emma finished the sentence.

,,Yes."

,,And where _is_ Lucy's mother?" Roni asked.

,,I don't know. Maybe she's keeping her locked up somewhere in town. That's what I need to figure out after you've left."

,,And where do you expect us to go?" Roni asked with a raised eyebrow.

,,Home. Where you belong."

 **To Be Continued?**


	19. Chapter 19

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 19:**

Roni was the first one to speak up: ,,And where would that be exactly?"

,,Storybrooke," Henry said and looked like he was searching for something in Roni's face.

But Roni just scrunched up her nose and laughed. ,,Storybrooke?" she echoed and raised an eyebrow. ,,What kind of drugs are you on, kid?"

Emma was prone to agree with Roni. _Storybrooke_. It sounded like flaming madness.

,,It's the _truth_ ," Henry said, sounding a bit desperate. ,,I.. God, I don't know _how_ to make you remember!"

,,Remember _what_?" Roni said, clearly getting annoyed with this seemingly absurd conversation.

But Henry completely overheard her, and his voice dropped to a whisper as he looked at Emma and Roni. ,,It's almost.. It's almost like you don't _want_ to remember."

,,Alright, I've had just about enough of this," Roni said and exchanged a look with Emma. ,,Look, kid. I would love to engage in more crazy talk with you, but we're sort of in the middle of breakfast so.." she attempted to shut the door in the young man's face, but at the same time, the entire building shook and they heard several loud crashes coming from outside.

,,What the hell was that?!" Emma barked while Lady whined in fear.

,,Lady Tremaine. She's enacting her plan." Henry said and his eyes went wide.

,,What plan?" Emma demanded as Roni picked Lady up to soothe her.

They heard another loud crash coming from somewhere in the city.

,,Judging by the sound, I'd say blowing the city up to get rid of the ones she don't want here is a safe bet," Henry said.

And then Emma heard footsteps, someone coming running up the stairs, and the next second Lucy came rushing up to Henry.

,,Dad, she's destroying everything! We have to go!"

Emma looked at Roni. The situation seemed dangerous, but Roni seemed reluctant to leave. ,,Roni, maybe he's right. Maybe it _is_ dangerous to stay here."

,,And if we leave what then?" Roni snapped. ,,Are we supposed to live in a strange city with a freaky name? No. Hyperion Heights is my home. Has been for as long as I remember. I'm not going anywhere."

Henry took a step forward and took Roni's hand. ,,I know it doesn't make sense to you right now, mo… Roni. But _trust me_ , once you return home, everything will make sense to you. I promise you'll be able to remember everything."

,,And what makes you so sure about that?" Emma questioned. She was willing to agree that Hyperion Heights seemed like a dangerous place to be right now, but the whole "false life" thing still didn't apply to her.

,,Because Storybrooke isn't a normal town."

,,No? What is it then?"

,,It's a town with magic."

,,Magic?" Roni echoed and Emma saw how her eyebrows arched. But she didn't look disbelieving anymore. She looked... distant. Almost like she was seeing something Emma couldn't see.

,,Dad, you have to show them the book. The real book," Lucy said quietly.

,,I'm not sure there's enough time, Luce."

,,You _have_ to," Lucy said earnestly. ,,Look at Roni. She's struggling."

Emma looked at the brunette. She really did look like she was having some troubles. She kept clutching her head with one hand and murmured: ,,Why does it hurt so badly?"

Henry and Lucy exchanged a look and Lucy nodded.

,,Alright," Henry sighed. He reached into his satchel and pulled a large book up. Not the white book Emma had seen a few weeks ago when Lucy dropped it, but another book. Brown and with golden letters saying "Once Upon a Time".

,,What is that?" Roni asked quietly.

,,It's a story."

,,What kind of story?" the brunette asked, and Emma saw how her dark eyes widened.

,,Your story. My story. Emma's story. Everybody's story."

Emma looked at the book again. It looked battered and broken and the spine was creased as it had been to hell and back.

Roni cocked her head to the side as Henry opened the book, showing a picture of Roni but looking different and cradling a little boy in her arms. A boy that seemed oddly familiar to Emma.

,,Is that… Is that _me_?" Roni half whispered.

,,Yes."

,,And who is the boy?" Emma asked and found herself to be whispering as well.

,,Me." Henry answered with little half-smile. He flipped a few pages forward in the book and Emma saw an image of _herself_ with both arms around a boy. And no doubt the boy was Henry. The same eyes and smile. Emma frowned at the image. She looked a bit different too, younger but smiling broadly.

,,How is this possible?" the blonde asked and looked from Henry to Roni. How could there be images of something she didn't even remember ever happened?

,,I'm your son." Henry said quietly. ,,It may seem absurd to both of you, but it's the truth."

,,But… _how_?" Emma asked frantically. It couldn't be. It just couldn't.

,,Can I see that picture again?" Roni interrupted, and Lucy flipped back to the picture of the different looking Roni with the baby in her arms.

,,Touch it," Henry whispered gently. ,,Touch the image and remember me, please… mom."

A small part of Emma wanted to yell " _don't_!" when Roni stretched her fingers out and hovered only inches from the image in the book. The blonde was certain, that if Roni touched the image, nothing would ever be the same again.

Roni's fingers were inches from the picture when they heard another thundering crash and the apartment shook violently.

,,There isn't enough time," Lucy yelled through the noise. ,,We have to go now!"

Henry quickly slammed the book shut and stuffed it down his satchel again, and Emma saw how the weird expression was washed away from Roni's face. She didn't look tormented anymore. She just looked like.. Roni. Emma breathed a sigh of relief.

,,Come on," Henry said firmly, leaving no room for discussion.

Emma and Roni exchanged a gaze, and Emma nodded vaguely. Roni adjusted Lady a little better in her arms, and then said: ,,Fine. I can't believe I'm agreeing to this nonsense, but let's go."

Henry ushered them out of the apartment, and Emma and Roni trooped after him with Lucy behind them.

Emma gaped once they came outside. Hyperion Heights seemed completely rocked by a hurricane or something like that. Several trees had been knocked to the ground, and almost all the cars had been destroyed.

,,What the hell happened here?" Roni asked.

,,I told you. She's "cleaning up" to get rid of the people she doesn't want here," Henry quickly explained.

,,Dad!" Lucy warned when a brick came flying seemingly out of nowhere. Henry only just managed to duck and avoid getting hit by the brick.

,,RUN!" Henry yelled and grabbed Lucy by the hand as more bricks came flying through the air.

Emma and Roni sprinted after him. Emma looked behind them. Strange, black smoke swirled through the air. Expect it wasn't smoke. Smoke didn't engulf the city like this. It was almost like they were running from a… _curse_.

,,How the hell are we supposed to outrun _that_?!" Roni yelled through the ear deafening noise.

,,I don't think we _can_ ," Emma yelled back as the strange smoke came closer and closer.

,,This way!" Henry shouted and guided them in direction of the only forest in Hyperion Heights.

Emma and Roni followed suit, and all four of them ran into the woods.

Once they were somehow sheltered by the trees, Henry opened his palm and threw something on the forest floor.

A large, swirling hole appeared on the ground where Henry had thrown what to Emma's eyes looked like some sort of bean.

The blonde looked at the swirling hole, and then back to the strange smoke. She didn't know what was going to happen if they jumped into that hole, but it seemed preferable to the black smoke.

,,You have to go!" Henry said. ,,Now. Before she gets here!"

,,What about you two?" Roni asked and glanced from Henry to Lucy.

,,We're not done here yet," Lucy said firmly and clung to her father's hand. ,,We still have to stop her!"

,,The kid is right," Henry nodded. ,,We have to finish this off the right way. But you two have to go now. This is the only chance you have. There aren't any more magic beans left, and you are the last ones to return home."

,,What do you say?" Emma half- shouted to Roni through the roaring noise. ,,Fancy a trip into a swirling hole?"

Roni glanced back to the smoldering black smoke. ,,Fine by me."

Emma stepped closer to her and took her hand, Roni's fingers immediately wrapped around the blondes, and she flashed Emma a soft smile. ,,On the count of three?"

,,One," Emma counted.

,,Two," Roni said, sounding like she doubted this whole thing.

Emma looked back to glance at Henry once last time, and she noticed how the young man looked at her and Roni's interlaced fingers. ,,I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Emma wanted to ask him why he was sorry, why he looked so sad, but a small tug on her fingers turned her attention back. The swirling hole was growing smaller by the second. The blonde looked at Roni who nodded.

,,THREE!" both women said in unison and took one single step forward.

And Emma felt how the earth disappeared under her as she and Roni jumped..

 **To Be Continued?**


	20. Chapter 20

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 20:**

Emma wheezed as the air was knocked out of her when her body collided with the hard ground. It felt like every single bone in her body had been broken and mended again. She didn't open her eyes just yet. She knew the whole world would spin if she did so.

But despite her eyes being squeezed shut, Emma still saw an abundance of memories for her inner eye. Her whole life blurred together.

" _Are you Emma Swan_?"

" _Yeah. Who are you_?"

" _My name's Henry. I'm your son_."

" _I love you, Henry_."

" _I love you too_."

" _You found us_."

" _Your happy ending may not be what you expect. That is what makes it so special._ "

" _Not a day will go by that I won't think of you_."

" _Hook, I will find you. I will always find you_."

" _Emma? You saved me._ "

" _Singing princess Emma isn't my favorite model._ "

" _I saved you. Now save me_."

" _I love you, Emma Swan, no matter what you do_."

" _Emma Swan, will you marry me_?"

" _Yes, Killian. Yes_!"

" _You did it, Swan. You got your happy ending._ "

" _That's not what this is. It's a happy beginning_."

Emma's eyes finally snapped open. For a second it felt like her entire skull was gonna crack open and explode, but then, suddenly everything made sense to her, and she remembered everything. Her son, her parents, her friends and her _husband_.

 _Killian_.

Oh god. Was he okay, was _Henry_ okay? Emma fully remembered Henry showing up in Storybrooke after years of being away and begging his family to help him. Lady Tremaine was threatening his newfound happiness with Ella and Lucy, and Emma, Killian and Regina had all ventured to the Enchanted Forest to help him. That was when disaster had struck and Lady Tremaine had enacted her curse. Emma now remembered her and Killian's vows to each other about finding back to each other no matter what.

Emma looked down at her finger. Her wedding ring was sparkling on her finger once again.

A sharp exhale next to her, brought Emma back to the current situation, and she carefully sat up on the forest floor. She turned her head and found Regina sitting a few feet away from her.

Oh god.

 _Regina_.

Emma gasped, a too loud sound in the quiet forest when realization hit her. Regina. _Regina_. Oh god, oh god, oh god. The woman whose guts she once hated, Regina her friend, Henry's _mother_.

Emma honestly had no words right now. _Roni_ , the woman she had been completely infatuated with, the woman she had _slept_ with had been Regina all along. Good god, good god. _Fuck_.

The blonde dared looking at the brunette, and she saw her own horror reflected in Regina's dark eyes. The other woman looked positively mortified and utterly shell shocked. And she mechanically brushed leaves off her denim jacket and dark jeans. A few leaves were tangled into her dark curls, and she quickly pulled them out, still looking completely horrified.

,,Regina, I…"

,,Don't," Regina sharply cut her off and wrinkled her nose in disgust over her own outfit.

,,But.."

,,Our son just spend his last magic beans on two clueless idiots to stay behind and fight that cunning bitch on his own. Forgive me for not feeling very talkative at the moment," Regina snapped.

Emma nodded slowly. Regina had a point there. The thought of Henry facing Lady Tremaine alone wasn't very pleasant, but...

,,He didn't want our help," Emma reminded the brunette.

,,Tough. Because I am gonna find a way back to that awful place if it's the last thing I do," Regina growled. ,,If that bitch is hurting my son and granddaughter, so help me god.."

,,We wouldn't be of much help like this," Emma pointed out. Regina looked as tired and worn out as Emma felt. ,,We have to rest and.. where are we even?"

,,I'm guessing somewhere near the Toll Bridge," Regina said and rubbed her forehead.

Emma slowly got on her feet, wobbled and grabbed Regina's arm to support herself.

Regina flinched and pulled her arm out of her grasp as if Emma had burned her. ,,Don't touch me."

Emma very quickly removed her hands.

,,We should get back," Regina muttered. ,,There are probably people looking for us."

She began walking very fast in direction of the Toll Bridge, and Emma had to run to keep up with her strides.

,,Regina, look, I know it's beyond weird, but don't you think we should at least talk about what happened in Seat.."

,,No. I really don't," Regina said firmly and shook her head.

Emma wanted to protest against that statement, but something in Regina's expression told her to drop the subject. Maybe that was the best thing to do anyway. Because this, _this_ really was beyond awkward. They were _friends_ for gods sake.

,,Kindly keep up. I would like to start working on getting back to Henry before nightfall," Regina said sharply, and Emma stopped dawdling.

The two women walked through the forest in complete silence. Regina looked very gruff, but whether it was because she was concerned about Henry or horrified about the events in Seattle, remained unclear to Emma.

And honestly, Emma had no idea what to say to her. That Henry would be fine? What kind of crap would that be, they had both seen what Lady Tremaine was capable of doing. That the events in Seattle just had been… what, an accident? _Doubtful_ , Emma thought before she could stop herself. And the next second she balked. What the hell was _wrong_ with her?

Finally, they reached the edge of the forest, and Regina pushed her way through the underbrush. Emma followed her silently and pushed branches away.

,,Has your magic returned yet?" Regina asked without looking at Emma.

Emma looked at her hands, suddenly realizing that her magic was missing. ,,No."

,,Neither has mine." Regina muttered and frowned.

,,Do you think it's some sort of side effect of being… cursed?" Emma answered and trailed of at the word "cursed".

,,I don't know. Could be."

Emma didn't ask further questions about the subject.

The underbrush became less thick, and finally Emma and Regina could push their way out of the forest. Emma looked at the town. Storybrooke looked as itself. As if nothing had changed. How long had they even been gone? Three months? Six months?

,,Welcome home," Regina muttered as they walked through town.

,,You too."

The first person to spot them happened to be Leroy. The dwarfs eyes nearly popped out, and then she shouted with all his might, and so nobody could overhear it: ,,Snow! David! Zelena! It's Emma and Regina! They are back! They are _home_!"

And then everything happened very fast. Doors were slammed open, people came trooping out of Granny's Diner to see for themselves, and Emma saw three people coming running towards her.

,,Emma!" David's arms were around her within seconds.

,, _Emma_ , honey!" Snow cupped her face lovingly. ,,Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

,,I'm fine, I'm alright," Emma assured and hugged her parents. ,,I've missed you so much!" and in that moment she realized just _how_ much she had missed her parents. Feeling their arms around her again. It felt like _home_.

,,Regina!"

Emma whipped her head around to see Zelena coming toward Regina and hugging her tightly. ,,I was so worried about you! Are you alright? Where have you been?" she gently pushed Regina away to look at her, and the redheads eyebrow arched when she glanced upon her sisters unusual attire. ,,What are you _wearing_?"

,,Don't ask," Regina said and hugged Zelena again and again. ,,It's good to be back."

,, _Swan_!"

Emma immediately turned around. ,,Killian!" she stretched her arms out and Killian stormed over to her and grabbed her. Kissed her cheek, her forehead, and hugged her tightly.

,,I'm alright," Emma said, slightly muffled into his chest. ,,Killian. Look at me. I'm fine. I'm alright."

,,I was so worried about you, love," her husband breathed, his blue eyes boring into green orbs.

Emma squeezed his hand tightly and smiled, refusing to dwell on the memory of the last hand who held hers.

,,Henry and Lucy?" Snow asked.

Both Emma and Regina shook their heads, and when Regina spoke up, she sounded very determined: ,,He couldn't come back just yet. But I'll be damned if I don't find a way back to him."

,,You are not going anywhere right now," Zelena interjected. ,,You are exhausted. You need rest."

,,I need to find my _son_ and my granddaughter," Regina said tight lipped.

Snow took the brunette's hand. ,,And we _will_ find him, Regina. But Zelena is right, right now you need to rest. Both of you."

,,Aye," Killian said and wrapped an arm around Emma. ,,Let's get you home, luv."

,,Not yet," David interjected. ,,First food then rest."

,,Hear, hear," Granny said. ,,Come in. Everything is on the house today."

Everybody went inside Granny's Diner, and as Emma ate a well-deserved burger, her parents did their best to update her about everything that had happened so far. Killian and Rumple had been sent back to Storybrooke hours before Emma and Regina returned home, and Gold had been received with open arms by his loving wife and devoted son.

It turned out that they had been gone in seven months exactly, and Zelena had done her best to build a portal to get to her sister. But Lady Tremaine had conveniently enough made sure to take the last ingredient with her.

Killian told Emma all about how he had ended up as a "officer Rogers" in Hyperion Heights.

,,So it _was_ you I bumped into one night!" Emma exclaimed.

,,Aye, luv." Killian smiled. ,,You seemed in a hurry. Where were you going?"

,,I… can't remember," Emma said. But it was a lie. She clearly remembered that she had ended up in "Roni's" bar for the first time.

,,What did this bloody curse do to _you_?" Killian continued.

,,I was just a bails bond person. Nothing too outrageous," Emma muttered vaguely.

,,And you, sis?" Zelena inquired. ,,What happened to you while you were there? I mean, judging by the clothes…"

,,I was a bartender," Regina interrupted, and earned wide eyes from Snow.

,,Really?"

,,Yes."

Killian tightened his grip around Emma's shoulder. ,,I wonder what that Lady Tremaine did to make sure none of us got too close to each other while we were stuck in Hyperion Heights. I mean, it's a mere coincidence that none of us ran into each other."

Emma swallowed something and noticed how Regina kept her head down.

,,I suppose Henry will tell us when he returns home," Snow mused.

,,He's _not_ gonna fight her alone," Regina snapped. ,,I'm gonna start finding a way back to him first thing in the morning. That hag is not getting away with this, I'm telling ya.." she interrupted herself midsentence and clammed her mouth shut.

None of the others seemed to notice the awkward little pause, but Emma did. The way Regina had snubbed off her words and almost spoken with a slight _accent_. _Is there still a bit of Roni left in you_? Emma silently asked herself, and now it was her turn to turn her gaze to the table. What business did she have thinking about " _Roni_ "?

Killian sighed and gave Emma's shoulder a little squeeze. He dropped a kiss on her hair and whispered: ,,I'm so happy you are back, luv. Now everything is gonna be alright."

,,Yeah." Emma leaned into his shoulder.

,,Everything will be like it was before this whole mess started."

,,Yes. Of course it will."

 **To Be Continued…..**


	21. Chapter 21

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 21:**

The group quickly dissolved after having lunch at Granny's. Regina seemed eager to get into her vault and work on getting back to Henry as soon as possible, but Zelena seemed just as eager to put a stop to that plan, either way, she kept coddling Regina and insisting that she should rest.

David and Snow seemed to think the same thing. They made it very clear that they wished to spend the day with their daughter- they would have plenty of time to worry about Henry and Lucy tomorrow.

And Emma was more than happy to indulge them. She had missed her parents so much, and being back in Storybrooke with them again seemed like a dream come true.

But by nightfall, Snow and David wished their daughter and Killian a good night, and instructed Emma to get plenty of rest so she could be able to tackle whatever difficulties tomorrow held. Emma promised to do so.

And the night had started out fine, it really had. She and Killian had enjoyed a single glass of wine before bed and toasted "to your return, luv". A toast Emma was more than willing to participate in.

The problems had started soon after that. Emma had taken a quick shower and redressed in a pajama, and once she returned to the bedroom, Killian was already waiting for her.

,,I've missed you," he said.

,,And I, you." Emma smiled as she crawled into bed.

And Killian seemed pretty determined to show her just _how_ much he had missed her. he promptly wrapped an arm tightly around her and pulled her closer. For a while, Emma just snuggled into his chest and breathed in his familiar scent. And Killian stroked her golden hair and murmured how much he had missed her.

Emma wouldn't have minded falling asleep like this one bit, but Killian seemed to have other plans. After a good while of snuggling, he pulled her even closer and cupped her cheek. Emma put her hand over his and closed her eyes as his lips brushed gently over hers. She abandoned his hand and tangled her fingers into his short, dark hair.

" _What's the rush, sweetheart_?"

 _What the hell, Emma_? The blonde frowned. Where the fuck did _that_ come from? Maybe she was still a little woozy after portal jumping.

,,Is everything alright, luv?" Killian asked gently, sensing that Emma wasn't in the kiss anymore.

,,Yeah. I'm fine," Emma assured. ,,Kiss me again."

,,As you wish, Swan," her husband grinned and covered Emma's lips with his own. Emma once again closed her eyes and skimmed her fingers up and down Killian's back. That's better. He gently flipped them over so he was on top of her. Killian smirked down at her, and Emma grinned right back at him and sighed as his lips wandered from her lips to her neck.

" _Here you go, Impatient_."

" _My name is not "impatient_ "

" _No? It fits you perfectly_."

 _Woah, what's going on here_? What the hell was "Roni" doing in her head? Why the hell was she relieving her first meeting with "Roni" right _now_? _Boy, I must be more tired than I thought_. But this time Emma didn't let Killian know she had zoned out for a moment. Instead she wrapped her legs around his and proceeded to unbutton his pajama shirt. Killian sniggered warmly into her neck.

,,Are you sure you're up for this tonight, luv?"

,,You bet," Emma assured and guided his hands to her own pajama shirt. Killian quickly ridded her of the material, and Emma closed her eyes once more as his lips found her neck again and his hands wandered to her breasts.

" _You know, my name is not Impatient._ "

" _What_ _is_ _your name then, honey_?"

" _Emma_. _My name is Emma_."

" _Emma._ "

"Roni's" laugh kept echoing in Emma's head, and the blonde grew more and more frustrated by the second. _Good god, what_ _is_ _this madness_?! _Pull yourself together, Swan_!

Killian's mouth wandered to her breast, and Emma panicked realized that she was _comparing_ him to the last person who did this to her. _No, stop. You are just overtired and need to relax. And luckily you have a devilishly handsome pirate who will help you to do just that_.

Killian's mouth wrapped around her nipple, and Emma instantly arched her back and moaned. _Look's who's coming along_. _See_? _You're fine now. You just needed a bit of attention from your loving husband._

Emma moaned again and arched her back. But something rather significant seemed to be missing right now. Absolutely _nothing_ was happening between her legs, normally, she would be soaking wet by now, and instead she found herself to be as dry as a bone. Maybe it was because she was tired, needed a bit more attention to "get there" tonight. But that was alright. Killian was a master in showering her with love and attention to make her comfortable.

" _You don't think I'm a princess_?"

" _Do you_ _want_ _to be a princess_?"

" _Nah, I guess not. I don't think I'm the princess-y type_."

" _No, you don't strike me as the princess-y type either_."

Okay, this was going too far now. She couldn't carry on like this, and she gently stopped Killian's hand as it fiddled with the strings in her pajama pants.

,,What is it, luv?" he rasped.

,,I'm…" _what_? Hearing a woman's voice in my head? Not wet enough to do this? Dizzy?

,,I'm tired," Emma finally landed on. ,,I'm sorry."

Killian dropped a light kiss on her forehead. ,,It's alright, Swan. You need to rest after today."

Emma caught herself breathe a sigh of relief when Killian abandoned her breasts and wrapped the covers tightly around her instead. She snuggled into his chest once more. This was nice.

,,And besides, we have all the time in the world, don't we, luv?"

,,Aye," Emma said lightly and caused Killian to laugh and drop another kiss on her hair.

A few moments later, both of them were fast asleep.

Emma was the first one to wake up the following day, and she didn't have the heart to wake Killian. He looked so peaceful and content all snuggled up under the covers. Emma gave him a light kiss on the cheek before slipping into a bathrobe and then leaving the bedroom.

The blonde wrapped her fingers around her cup of coffee and took a sip of it. She had slept very good last night. Maybe the events the night before was nothing. Just her being overtired and worried because of Henry. Her son, still stuck in Hyperion Heights with his daughter. Emma wasn't sure how right now, but she knew she wanted both of them back as soon as possible.

She quickly emptied her coffee cup and crept back into the bedroom. Without waking Killian, she put on her jeans, tanktop, and leather jacket. She quickly tied her hair back into a ponytail and went into the kitchen again. She should probably start breakfast. She took a quick peek into the fridge. Only expired food. So a shopping trip would definitely be necessary.

Emma was in the process of tying her booths when a low whining reached her ears. She stopped what she was doing and listened closely. There was the whining again, and this time the whining was accompanied by a faint scratching on the door. definitely some kind of animal then. But what kind of animal? Emma _really_ wasn't in the mood to fight a chernabog or a hydra or something like this. She might be the Savior, but even the Savior deserves a day off after being cursed for six months.

Emma quickly opened the door. It wasn't a monster ready to strike. It was a very familiar red cocker spaniel. And the poor thing looked pretty miserable with her tail between her legs and shivering cold.

,,Lady!" Emma exclaimed and kneeled down to coax the dog over to her.

And no doubt the clever animal recognized her. As soon as she had given Emma's hand a throughout sniffing, Lady yapped and wagged her tail, clearly over the moon to see a familiar face.

,,So you made it through the portal too, huh?" Emma half-laughed as Lady licked her chin. ,,Where have you been all night?"

She didn't expect Lady to answer any questions (Magic town or not, dogs _couldn't_ talk). Emma scratched Lady's forehead and stroked her soft fur until Lady grew uneasy and started sniffing around in the kitchen.

,,I'm not really the one you're looking for, am I?" Emma questioned. No doubt Lady was searching for "Roni", but there was just one problem..

,,She's not here, girlie." Emma told the dog. ,,Well, she _is_ , but not really. It's difficult to explain. She's a bit different now, and I'm not sure what she thinks of you now. But don't worry, if she doesn't want you anymore, you can stay here."

Lady yapped again and sniffed around once more.

Emma quickly terminated, that the cocker spaniel wasn't gonna rest until she was taken to her owner, so Emma scooped the dog up in her arms and left the house.

It didn't take long before the blonde and her furry companion reached the Mills mansion and Emma couldn't help but pick up on how her stomach tied in knots at the first knock on the door.

She heard noise behind the door, and soon after it was swung open. Not by Regina, but by Zelena.

,,Oh, good morning, Emma," the redhead yawned. ,,What can I do for you so early?"

,,I was looking for Regina. Is she still asleep?"

Zelena shook her head. ,,She left early this morning. I think she's trying to cook something up in her vault. Shall I tell her you've been here?"

,,Uh, no, that's alright. I think I'll go and see what she's up too."

,,Not sure that's a good idea," Zelena said. ,,She said she didn't want to be disturbed."

,,But I kinda have a package for her," Emma said and shifted the cocker spaniel in her arms.

,,An unusual welcome home present," Zelena commented and petted Lady.

,,It's not a present. It's hers… Or _was_ hers… when she lived in Seattle," Emma quickly rambled off.

Zelena's light eyebrows rose. ,,I thought you didn't see her when you were cursed?"

,,I just ran into her once when she was walking the dog, and she seemed fond of it, so I thought that I would return it to her," Emma said quickly.

,,Hm. I didn't know my sister had a fondness for pets."

 _And women_. _Wait, what_?!

,,I'll just bring the dog over to her," Emma muttered hastily and thanked Zelena.

Emma quickly reached Regina's vault, and despite Zelena's warning, the blonde went inside and walked down the stairs, a difficult task when she was carrying Lady in her arms.

The blonde found Regina standing in front of the wooden table. There were several books lying open and scattered all over the table and floor. And there was an old, rusty kettle boiling in the corner of the vault. Clearly, Regina was cooking up something down here.

Emma quietly cleared her throat, and Regina turned around. The blonde felt a pang of _what_ , disappointment, when she realized that Regina's hair wasn't wild and curly anymore. Instead it was smooth and silky and very straight. There were no trace of skinny jeans and denim jackets anymore either. Instead she was wearing one of her usual pencil skirts, a light silk blouse and a blazer over it.

Regina squinted her eyes and looked from Emma to the dog in her arms.

,,Hey." The brunette finally said.

,,Hi." _Oh god, this is beyond awkward_.

,,I see that someone else made it through the portal," Regina muttered and drew her hair behind her ear as she checked on whatever was cooking in that kettle.

,,Yeah. She arrived on my doorstep early this morning. I assume she was looking for you." Emma sat the dog down on the stone floor.

,,Oh." Was all Regina said when she kneeled down and made a "come here" motion to Lady. The cocker spaniel instantly yapped and stormed over to the brunette, completely mad with joy over having found her owner.

,,So, are you gonna keep her?" Emma asked as Lady barked and spun around herself.

,,I can't very well dump her at the animal shelter, can I?" Regina answered and petted Lady's head, immediately rewarded with a lick on her hand. ,,I guess I have a dog now. There's a good girl," the brunette coed as Lady rubbed her head against Regina's knee.

Lady quickly settled down, now that she was where she wanted to be, and Regina turned her attention back to the books lying on the table.

,,What are you doing?" Emma questioned.

,,I'm trying to figure out how to build a portal to get back to Henry," Regina muttered quickly and skimmed through the book.

,,Any luck so far?"

,,No." Regina said bitterly. ,,I mean, there are several ways to do it, but it would take too long, and we need to get back to him _now_ and not in two months."

,,We?"

,,I suppose you want to participate in rescuing our son?" Regina said and shot Emma a weird look.

,,I.. wasn't sure I would receive an invitation, to be honest," Emma muttered vaguely and fiddled with the zipper on her red leather jacket.

,,And why ever not? You're his mother too," Regina said conclusively and closed the book, tossed it into a pile on the floor and opened a new one.

Emma watched as the brunette flipped through the new book, and at one point, Regina's jacket sleeve slid up a little. Emma's green eyes widened. _Is that the feather tattoo_? _Do you still have a tattoo on your wrist_?

Regina must have caught Emma's eyes resting on her wrist, because she quickly pulled her sleeve down, covering her wrist once more.

Emma shifted her weight from one leg to the other. _Okay, this is painfully awkward. Say something, Swan. Just_ _something_ _. Anything would do right now_.

,,Did you want anything else?" Regina half-snapped when Emma kept standing there like an idiot.

Emma sucked in a breath. ,,I don't think pretending nothing happened between us is gonna work."

To her surprise, Regina didn't fly off the handle or shouted in her face. Instead the brunette smiled calmly, almost sweetly.

 _Has she gone mad or something_? _Is that what this has come to_?

,,Well, pretty soon we don't have to pretend anymore," Regina said and gestured towards the boiling kettle.

,,What do you mean? What is that?" Emma asked and narrowed her green eyes at the smell coming from the kettle.

,,Forgetting potion," Regina said plainly. ,,I think it would be in everyone's best interest if we drink it."

What? _What_?!

,,Oh, don't worry," Regina said and misunderstood the look on Emma's face. ,,This is a different kind of potion. You won't lose your memories entirely. You will still remember being cursed and spending time in Seattle. The only thing you will forget is…" she trailed off and turned her attention back to the books on the table.

,,Roni," Emma finished the sentence with a slight whisper, and Lady's ears rose at hearing the name.

,,Precisely." Regina said. ,,I think it's best if she leaves your memories for good, don't you?"

,,Yeah." _NO_! _wait, what_?!

Regina nodded as to confirm their agreement.

,,And, uh.. how long is it gonna take before it's done?" Emma asked and looked at the forgetting potion.

,,A month. I know, I know. It's a long time, but it's the fastest way."

,,Right."

Emma didn't know how to feel about that. It seemed like Regina was determined to put this whole thing behind her, and honestly, how could Emma argue with that.

,,I'll just.. See you later," the blonde mumbled vaguely.

,,Mm."

 _Goodbye, Roni_ , Emma thought to herself as she left the vault…

 **To Be Continued?..** **((More?))**


	22. Chapter 22

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 22:**

Things returned to "normal" in Storybrooke. Snow and David relished in having their daughter "back where she belonged", and didn't notice that said daughter was struggling. Emma usually put on a show and a big smile for them. Yes, of course she was over the moon about being back, she was just concerned about Henry, that was all.

She didn't quite succeed in fooling Killian, though. He hadn't exactly said anything directly, but Emma knew that he picked up on it every time she flinched when he touched her or stiffened when he kissed her. But he was patient and gentle, and Emma felt like a monster every time she denied him. They hadn't had sex in god knows how long. The official explanation was that Emma was tired and being cursed had really kicked her ass.

But deep down Emma knew it was more than that.

It wasn't being cursed that was the problem as it was _someone_.

It was Roni.

How strangely absurd it sounded, Emma _missed_ her. Missed her voice, her smile, her flirting attitude and the way she leaned against the counter of her bar.

Emma had told herself a million times that she was being ridiculous. She was thinking about a woman who didn't exist- who never had existed. Roni had never really been there. She had been nothing but an illusion. A beautiful illusion.

And Emma had no idea how to move on from here. She knew what Regina wanted- she wanted to forget, and she wanted Emma to forget this whole thing ever happened. The thought of that made Emma slightly panicked. She _didn't_ want to forget anything. Especially not Roni.

Deep down, she knew it was complete madness. She should be focusing on Killian, on being back and getting her marriage back on track. Getting their _personal life_ back on track.

But every time either of them tried to take things a step further, something got in the way. Or, rather _someone_ got in the way.

This was ridiculous, Emma decided. To hell with her flashbacks, tonight she was going to be with her husband, even if it would be the end of her.

And the first step of the plan had gone smoothly.

There had been wine, candles on the tables and a nice, homecooked meal for once. There had been flirting and touching and handholding across the table, and once the desert had been eaten to the last bite, both parts had agreed on "taking this upstairs".

So far, so good.

Killian had swept her up in his arms, carried her upstairs and gently laid her down on the bed, and Emma was relieved when it seemed that tonight was gonna be the night. Her jeans, shirt, bra and panties quickly ended up on the bedroom floor along with Killian clothes, and Emma felt nothing but relief when he kissed her lips, her neck…

" _Impatient Emma._ "

" _Emma. Just Emma._ "

" _Alright, Emma, just Emma. What can I do for you_?"

 _No_! _Please, not this again_! Emma silently begged. Why the hell did Roni keep popping up in her head whenever she and Killian tried to be intimate? Emma firmly pushed any thought of Roni out of her head and tried to stay in the moment with Killian. And he did his best to make her stay, he really did. He touched and stroked and used his tongue in ways that once upon a time would make her moan and thrash and beg for more. But tonight, no such thing happened. Sure, it felt nice, of course it did. But it wasn't that euphoric joy she used to feel when she was with him.

" _So, what will it be, miss Swan_? _What's your weakness_?"

Emma groaned, and Killian mistook the sound for lust and breathed: ,,Oh, Emma. I love you so much."

,,I love you too," Emma parroted. _I'm so sorry. You don't deserve this_.

Killian, however didn't notice her struggle, and Emma would rather spend the rest of her life in the Underworld than admitting that his touch somehow didn't affect her the way it used too, so she kept her mouth shut and did what she never had done with him before. She faked it. She breathed out a series of moans and rocked her hips upwards to meet his eager thrusts.

God, how she wanted to feel something.

" _Are you unattached_? _Or should I feel guilty for having kissed a kept woman_?"

" _I_ ' _m unattached._ "

" _Excellent_."

As if Killian was able to hear her thoughts, Emma moaned again and breathed out a: ,,Killian!"

,,Emma," he breathed back, and Emma involuntarily cringed when she felt his lips on her own. She had to finish this, and finish it now before he noticed that something was off.

So she did. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back. When she clamped down around him and released a series of moans, it didn't take him long to follow her false cue and come inside her.

When he came back to earth, he opened his eyes and smiled lovingly at her. Emma returned the smile and hoped that tremor she felt in her chin just seemed like pure post coital bliss and nothing more. But she felt waves of relief washing over her as he finally pulled out of her and dropped a warm kiss on her forehead followed by a heartfelt: ,,I love you _so_ much."

,,I love you too."

In the beginning of their relationship, it had bugged her endlessly that he was one of those guys who fell asleep immediately after sex, but right now she couldn't be more grateful.

Emma felt terrible. Not only because of what she was doing to Killian, but also because she for some inexplicable reason felt like she had cheated on Roni. Maybe it would be better to drink that forgetting potion once Regina had it finished. That way she would forget everything that had happened in Seattle, and she and Killian could go back to living their life like they did before.

But the next morning when Emma woke up, that thought was completely out of the question. She had been dreaming. About Roni. Nothing lewd, but still the best kind of dream. It had just been a normal day in Hyperion Heights where she and Roni had been preparing the bar for the night while Lady sniffed around between their feet. At one point, in the dream, Roni had turned around and flashed Emma one of her beaming smiles.

That smile was burned into Emma's mind when she opened her green eyes and remembered that she wasn't in Hyperion Heights. She was in Storybrooke. In bed. with her husband. This was her life.

Emma sighed and rolled around, yelping in surprise when she came face to face with Killian's face only inches from her own.

,,'Morning," she said to cover her surprise.

,,Good morning, luv." He said softly.

Emma looked at her watch. ,,God, is it that late already? I have work in 30 minutes!" she jumped out of bed and opened the closet to find a set of clean clothes.

,,Emma?" Killian asked as he sat up in the bed and pulled his boxers on.

,,Yeah?"

,,Who is Roni?"

Emma froze for a second as she pulled a shirt over her head. ,,Who?" she echoed and frowned.

,,Roni. You said it in your sleep."

,,Did I?"

,,Mm."

Emma shrugged lightly and shimmied into her jeans. ,,I've no idea. I can't even remember the dream."

Killian sniggered and wrapped an arm around her waist. ,,You had me worried there for a second, luv. I thought some handsome fella had stolen your heart in Seattle or something like that."

Emma laughed, but felt slightly hysterical as she turned around and kissed him. ,,Doubtful. I already have the most handsome pirate in all the realms."

,,Aye. That you do."

Emma somehow managed to keep the façade going when they ate breakfast. But as soon as she left the house to walk to the Sheriff's station, she groaned and felt tempted to slap herself again and again. _Fuck, what a mess_.

The blonde had rounded a corner when she heard her mother call her name.

,,Hi mom," Emma said as Snow came walking to her.

,,Need company on your way to work?" Snow offered.

,,Sure. Why not," Emma grinned.

They walked together, and Emma fully enjoyed spending time with her mother. If only she wasn't so perceptive all the time.

,,You look worn out, Emma," Snow observed.

 _Do I? Do I really_?! ,,I've just been feeling a bit tired after the curse and all," Emma muttered. Not a complete lie.

,,I understand," Snow said and squeezed her daughters hand. ,,Maybe you need a bit of recreation."

,,Yeah, maybe I do."

The two women rounded another corner, and Emma's breath hitched in her throat when she saw Regina standing on the pavement. With a lighter in hand and a cigarette between her lips.

About a hundredth flashbacks of Roni smoking immediately attacked Emma. _Oh god, why_?

But Snow remained completely oblivious and waved at the older brunette: ,,Regina! Hi."

Regina succeeded in lighting the cigarette and took a drag on the cigarette, inhaling deeply. Then she picked up on Snow's greeting and turned around, hastily removing the cigarette from her lips and said: ,,Good morning."

,,Good morning," Snow smiled as she and Emma came over to the brunette. Snow immediately tilted her head and asked curiously: ,,Are you _smoking_?"

Regina sighed. ,,Terrible habit, I know, but my.. _cursed_ self liked her cigarettes, and it seems to be a hard habit to quit." She took another drag on the cigarette and avoided all eye contact with Emma.

,,I was just saying to Emma," Snow babbled. ,,That she needed a bit of recreation after being cursed."

,,Yes, well, perhaps we could all need a bit of recreation after that," Regina mused and took yet another drag on the cigarette.

,,So I was thinking girls night!" Snow exclaimed and grinned.

 _What_? _No. Not gonna happen. There is no way I'm gonna go out and have drinks and play pool with Regina after everything that's happened_.

,,Pardon me?" Regina said politely and Emma thought she saw a glimpse of her own panic reflected in the older woman's dark eyes.

,,Girls night," Snow repeated. ,,You, me, Emma and Zelena if she wants to come."

 _That's about the worst suggestion I have ever heard_.

,,That is.. very kind of you, Snow. But I'm afraid I have to pass. To avoid further damage on my liver."

,,What?" Snow said and raised an eyebrow.

,,My cursed self liked drinking quite a lot, and I'm not sure how much more my liver can take."

,,Oh. That was a shame."

,,Perhaps another time. And now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna be late for work. See you later." The brunette quickly spun around on her feet and headed toward the Town Hall.

Snow turned to Emma and frowned. ,,Did Regina seem a little off to you?"

,,I didn't notice," Emma lied. The truth was, that Regina seemed completely out of it. _Does she feel as haunted as I do_?

Emma and Snow parted ways, Snow walked towards the school, and Emma was meant to walk to the Sheriff's Station. Instead she turned around and walked towards the town hall instead.

Emma knocked forcefully on the door to the Mayor's office, and two seconds later she heard Regina say: ,,Come in."

The blonde stepped inside and Regina looked up. Was there a hint of panic in her eyes when she realized it was Emma who had come inside her office?

Emma never found out, because two seconds later, Madam Mayor was very much back and said: ,,Yes? Can I help you?"

Emma decided to get straight to the point. ,,About that forgetting potion…"

,,Yes?"

,,I'm not gonna drink it."

 **To Be Continued….**


	23. Chapter 23

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 23:**

,,I beg your pardon?" Regina said with a phenomenal imitation of politeness.

,,I'm not gonna drink it," Emma repeated and folded her arms across her chest.

,,I think that would be a mistake." Regina said plainly.

,,Why?"

Regina sighed and grabbed onto the edges of the table. ,, _Why_ on earth would you want to keep those false memories?"

,,Maybe because they meant something to me?" Emma suggested without flinching.

,,Are you out of your mind?" Regina asked calmly.

 _Possibly_? _I keep hearing your voice in my head, so yeah, maybe I am out of my mind_.

,,So you are willing to keep the memories about cheating on your husband. That's a new level of self-torture," Regina said and her nostrils flared dangerously.

,,Why are you so eager to forget?" Emma asked.

,,Why are you so eager to remember?" Regina shot back.

,,Because those are _my_ memories!" Emma defended. ,,And _I_ would like to decide what to remember and what to forget."

,,Oh, so they are _your_ memories?! Well, I have a little newsflash for you _miss Swan_ : _I_ was in those memories, and I would very much like for both of us to forget it."

,,Why?" Emma asked without bulging from the spot.

Regina threw her hands up in frustration. ,,An insane lady cursed us, gave us completely new personalities, and then manipulated us together. And you ask _me_ why I want to forget."

Emma swallowed, and then very quietly: ,,I don't think Lady Tremaine manipulated us to be together, Regina."

,,Well, then fate has a horrid sense of humor," Regina snapped. ,,Either way, you are going to drink that potion, Emma. And that's final."

,,No. I won't." Emma refused.

,,Yes you will."

,,No." Emma said firmly and shook her head. _Because if I do, then I will lose Roni forever, and I just can't_.

,,Very well." Regina exhaled slowly and turned her attention back to the papers in front of her.

Emma blinked. Had not expected Regina to back down so quickly.

,,What, you're not gonna force me to drink the potion?" the blonde half quipped.

,,No." Regina sucked in a breath.

,,But?" Emma encouraged. She knew that there very much was a "but" included in that sentence.

,, _But_ then I'm afraid our friendship has to end. Starting now." Regina said without looking up at Emma.

,,You can't be serious!" Emma protested. ,,That's not…"

But Regina just waved her off. ,,Until I can drink that potion, I can't deny the events in Seattle. Cursed or not, it still happened, and I'm not gonna continue to be around you and your husband and your parents and pretend that nothing happened. That's not fair to Killian."

,,Regina.."

,,No." Regina said firmly. ,,If you don't agree to take that potion, I'm afraid that's how it's gonna be."

,,So you're giving me a choice?"

,,Yes."

Emma had never felt so torn in her whole life. Losing Regina as her friend seemed horrible, but losing the precious memories about the woman who no longer existed seemed even more horrible.

,,I won't lose her. I just can't."

,,Lose who, exactly?"

,,Roni." Emma whispered, and it was like saying the name of someone who was dead. Except she wasn't. Roni's ghost was right here in this office.

,,Goodbye, miss Swan." Regina said and it sounded so final, so conclusively. Like she was saying goodbye for good.

And Emma somehow understood that arguing would be worthless. She wanted to keep the memories of Roni, and Regina wanted to forget her cursed self more than anything.

Regina waved her hand, swinging the office door wide open, and the implication was clear. She wanted Emma to leave, and she wanted her to leave right now.

,,Goodbye then," Emma muttered and turned around. Her footsteps echoed in her head as she left the town hall.

And as always, Regina stayed true to her word and avoided all contact with Emma. Sure, Emma saw her around here and there, and she exchanged a few polite words with the blonde now and then, but if she stumbled upon Emma alone, she promptly crossed the street, avoiding interacting with her.

And Emma felt terrible.

This reminded her too much of a time where she and Regina were enemies and fighting each other.

And then there was Emma's marriage. Things weren't going too great between her and Killian, and deep down Emma knew that it was her fault. They didn't speak properly to each other anymore, and Emma kept pushing him away even though she tried not to. She couldn't quite explain it, but he seemed different somehow. Or she saw him differently. The blue eyes she once got lost in when she looked at them for too long were now getting compared to rich, dark brown eyes. And his smile and cocked eyebrow that was once her greatest weakness, had been replaced with the image of a certain bartender who smirked and raised an eyebrow every time she leaned against the counter.

Emma knew that these problems they were having were because of her, but she refused to say it out loud and make it "real". Their marriage was just going through a bit of a rough patch right now. It happened in every marriage. They would get through it. Of course they would. Killian was the love of her life. He was the man she had literally gone through hell to be with. They would be fine. This was just a phase.

It was only in her darkest moments, when she lied awake next to Killian at night, that she brushed the subject that she and Killian were growing further and further apart.

And it didn't get better over the next few weeks.

Emma more or less buried herself in work at the Sheriff's station. Took double shifts, worked extra hours, even voluntarily offered Archie to stay and search for Pongo. In her mind, she was just catching up on some work, she had been gone for six weeks, there were plenty of things to do, but in reality, she played hide and seek with her husband, and avoided him as much as possible. Literally. He was often asleep when Emma returned home from work, and the blonde was relieved every time. And then she felt guilty for feeling relieved. Her guilty conscience kept her awake at night. She felt terrible for pushing Killian away and lying to him, and simultaneously, she felt awful every time she and Killian shared a kiss or a touch. Every single kiss between them felt like cheating on Roni.

Except Roni wasn't here.

But Regina very much _was_.

And the strangest thing happened every time Emma managed to spot Regina. She felt how her gaze lingered just a little bit longer than it normally would. Maybe, maybe she _was_ going mad after all.

And finally came the day where Emma, Snow and David were having lunch at Granny's and Zelena came up to their table, asking to sit with them.

,,Please," Snow smiled and gestured to the empty seat.

,,Ta," Zelena said, but she was frowning and her brow were crinkled with concern.

,,Everything okay?" David asked and took a swig of his coffee.

,,Yes."

,,You look concerned," Snow observed. ,,Are you sure everything is fine? is Robyn alright?"

,,Yes, Robyn is doing just fine. It's Regina who's worrying me."

Emma stiffened with the grilled cheese sandwich hovering in the air.

,,Why?" Snow asked, oblivious to her daughter. ,,What's wrong?"

,,That's the thing," Zelena sighed. ,,She won't talk to me. Not like we used to at least. She keeps saying that she's fine, but I can see that something is bothering her. She's not herself."

Emma listened interested. Why was Regina struggling? Did she really feel that terrible about what had happened, or was it something… else?

,,Hasn't she said anything?" Snow frowned.

,,No. She's shutting me out, and I don't understand why."

,,That's strange," David muttered.

,,So I was wondering if she had said anything to you?" Zelena asked. ,,I thought that maybe.." the redhead glanced to Emma and Snow. ,,You two are her best friends. Maybe she had talked to you about what's bothering her?"

Emma tried her best to swallow the hard lump in her throat.

,,No," Snow answered and frowned again. ,,We've barely seen her for weeks. I was actually gonna stop by her place tomorrow and talk to her."

,,Good thing I ran into you then," Zelena said. ,,She won't be here tomorrow."

,,What?" Emma blurted out. ,,Where is she going?"

Zelena shot her a strange look. ,,Seattle. She told me she had texted you and asked you to come with, but you had declined and wanted to stay behind with Killian."

 _And you fell for that_?! ,,She didn't tell me anything," Emma said and curled her hand to prevent it from trembling.

,,Maybe I've misunderstood it then," Zelena shrugged.

 _You didn't misunderstand anything_. _She totally tried to bench me_ , _but that's not going to work this time_.

,,When is she leaving?" David asked. ,,And how, exactly? I thought the portal weren't ready."

,,She thinks she has just enough magic to create a portal from Seattle. That way it's not gonna be such a big jump between realms this time. She was packing the car when I left, so I'm guessing she's about ready to leave."

Emma jumped up and knocked over her half full coffee cup in the process, coffee spilling everywhere and dripping onto the floor.

,,Emma?" Snow asked. ,,Where are you going?"

,,I am going to Seattle with Regina to find Henry and bring him back," Emma yapped off, leaving no room for discussion. ,,Tell Killian it was an emergency and I had to leave."

,,Emma you can't just.. When are you coming back?" Snow asked, completely bewildered over her daughters momentarily madness.

,,I'm not sure," Emma said as she grabbed her cellphone and struggled to get her red leather jacket on. ,,I'll call you when I know more, alright? I love you."

And with that, the blonde stormed out of the diner and jumped into the yellow bug. There was no way in hell she would let Regina get away from her and set out on a rescue mission on her own. Emma speeded all the way to the mansion. No sign of Regina, and more importantly, no sign of the Mercedes out front. Damn it. Had she really been too late?

No. Emma refused to accept that. If she had to follow Regina to Seattle, so be it, but for now, she would settle for the town line.

Emma once again pushed the yellow Bug to the absolute limit as she raced towards the town line. And she was in luck. The black Mercedes were driving in front of her, and no doubt Regina had spotted the Bug in the rear view mirror, for the brunette seemed to be speeding up significantly.

Emma cursed under her breath. The Mercedes was newer and with a much better engine than the Bug. But Emma had an advantage. She had driven around with "Roni" the last month or so, and she had been a terrible driver. So maybe, just maybe, Regina was too. Emma took a wild leap of fate and drove up beside the Mercedes. Then she steered the Bug in front of the other car and stopped right in the middle of the road.

The Mercedes brakes were screeching as the other car came to a violent halt in the middle of the road. Regina came storming out of the car, her face was twisted with anger as she screamed at Emma: ,,What the _hell_ are you doing?! You could have killed me!"

Emma exited the Bug. ,,Did you expect me to just stand by and watch while you took off to Seattle to save _our_ son?!"

Regina's nostrils flared. ,,If I wanted you to come along, I would probably have invited you!"

,,You don't get to decide whether I should participate in saving our son or not!"

,,Remove your vehicle from the road, Emma."

,,No." Emma said stubbornly. ,,Not until you accept the fact that I am coming with you."

,,Wouldn't you prefer to stay behind and mend your failing marriage?" Regina spat.

Emma took a step back as Regina had slapped her.

,,This is a small town, _miss Swan_. When there's no villain around to tear everything apart, people gossip instead," Regina hissed.

,,And so what if my marriage is going through a rough path?" Emma shot back. ,,What's it to _you_?"

,,Absolutely nothing. I just assumed that you would prefer to stay reunited with your loving husband."

,,Well, you assumed _wrong_ ," Emma snapped. ,,I am coming with you. Your car or mine?"

,,Mine," Regina said firmly. ,,I am not getting into that death trap of a car. Now remove it so we can get out of here."

Emma did as she was asked, but continued to look suspiciously at Regina in the rear-view mirror as she removed the car from the road. She wanted to make sure that Regina didn't play some sort of trick on her.

But Regina did nothing except getting into her car again and tapping the wheel until Emma returned and got into the car.

,,Shall we get going?" Emma asked as she buckled her seatbelt.

,,Hand," Regina said.

,,What?"

,,Give me your hand." Regina précised.

,,Why?" Emma questioned hesitantly as she stretched her hand out towards Regina.

,,I assume you want to remember who you are and what you're doing in Seattle," Regina muttered. ,,I don't know whether Lady _Tremaine_ has cursed the town line as well, but one can never be too sure."

Emma's breath hitched in her throat when Regina took her hand and waved her slender fingers over Emma's wedding ring. The ring glowed bright purple for a few seconds.

,,What did you do to it?" Emma asked.

,,I enchanted it. This way you'll be able to remember Henry, your parents and… your husband. If you take the ring off, the spell will be broken."

,,Right. Got it," Emma said. ,,Let's get going."

 **To Be Continued..**


	24. Chapter 24

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 24:**

Regina nodded and started the engine. The brunette didn't give Emma a second look and just looked straight ahead as she steered the Mercedes towards the town line.

,,Do you even have a plan?" Emma asked.

The brunette didn't answer.

,,Regina?"

Still no answer. Regina just looked stubbornly out of the window.

 _Okay, this is gonna be a very long trip_. Emma dropped any attempt at talking to the brunette. Clearly, Regina (still) wasn't in the mood for conversation. Was their "friendship" still over, Emma wondered. Had she only agreed to let Emma come with her because Henry was her son too?

Emma silently held her breath as they crossed the town line. The wedding ring on her finger glowed purple once more, but Emma still remembered who she was and were she was going.

The blonde heard Regina exhale next to her, and Emma turned around in the seat to face her: ,,Are you alright?"

,,No."

,,What?"

,,To answer your question… No, I don't have a plan," Regina muttered.

,,So you were just gonna drive to Seattle and hope for the best?"

,,It seemed like the best thing to do." Regina said, still avoiding all eye contact,

,,But.. you still remember who you are," Emma concluded. ,,What did you enchant to keep your memories?"

Regina reached under the collar of her shirt and pulled a necklace with a small apple tree pendant out. Emma had never seen it before.

,,That's very pretty," the blonde said. ,,Where did you get it?"

,,An old friend gave it to me."

,,What old friend?" Emma asked hesitantly, silently wondering how much she could dare to ask the brunette. But on the other hand, if this was the only conversation they were gonna have on this trip, Emma would damn well make the most of it.

,,Maleficent." Regina said, still looking straight ahead.

 _Maleficent_. Regina would probably have used the same tone if she had said it had been a gift from her mother or somebody else, but still Emma wondered. Wondered if Maleficent only had been "an old friend". And the next second she wondered _why_ that interested her so much all the sudden.

,,Your phone is ringing," Regina said dully.

And she was right. Emma's cellphone was indeed ringing. The blonde sighed quietly. The caller id told her that it was Killian who was calling her.

,,Hello?"

,,Swan! What the hell is going on?! One moment you are on your way to work, and the next your parents shows up and tell me that you are going to Seattle with Regina. Care to explain what is going on?!"

Why the hell was he talking to her like that? Why did he suddenly make her feel like a scolded child?

Emma exhaled deeply. ,,It was an emergency. Henry is in trouble and need our help. I'm sorry I had to leave without telling you, but as I said it was an emergency."

She heard Killian sigh. ,,Of course. I understand. The lad comes first. Bring him home, Swan."

,,I'll do my best."

,,And give my best to Regina."

,,I will."

,,I love you."

,,Yeah. Me, too." Emma hung up and then it struck her. She hadn't said it back. _Why_ didn't she say it back?

,,You don't know that for sure," Regina interrupted her inner turmoil.

,,Sorry?"

,,Henry. You don't know whether he's in trouble or not."

,,Oh. Well, I just figured that he would be since he's dealing with Lady Tremaine on his own."

But Regina shook her head, and still looking straight ahead she asked: ,,Why are you lying to him?"

Emma considered that. Why _was_ she lying to him exactly? This wasn't exactly the first road trip she had been on with Regina. _Yeah, but that was before "things" happened between you two in Seattle_. Oh good god, shut up, Emma thought to herself. Why was it that her mind was so determined to remind her of that all the time?

Regina reached out, and for a second, Emma was sure that the older woman was about to take her hand, but instead Regina pushed a button on the radio.

,,Do you mind if I switch the radio on?"

,,No. Go ahead."

Regina switched the radio on, and Emma listened as she turned the volume up on the first, the best song the radio had to offer:

" _There she goes in front of me  
Take my life and set me free again  
We'll make a memory out of it_.."

Oh, perfect. Absolutely _fucking_ perfect. Of _all_ the songs that damned radio could have played, it had to be one with "meaning". What happened to mindless rock and headbanging? Emma silently wondered.

Maybe Regina was thinking the same. She tapped another button and switched to another song:

" _I don't mind spending every day  
Out on your corner in the pouring rain  
Look for the girl with the broken smile  
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile  
And she will be loved  
And she will be loved_"

 _Okay, what fresh hell is this_?! Why was the radio so damn determined to make her suffer? Both songs reminded her painfully about Roni. _This isn't fair_! Was Regina really that oblivious, or was she just plain stubborn? Emma dared another look at her. The brunette didn't return the look. She simply kept on focusing on the road in front of her. Until she steered the Mercedes towards a nearby gas station.

,,What?" Emma asked when the car pulled up in front of the gas station.

,,Petrol," Regina said plainly and exited the car.

,,Oh. Right."

Emma watched as Regina waved one of the employees over to the car, and smiled at him until she offered to refill the car for her.

Petrol and a cigarette, it seemed. Regina rummaged through her coat pockets until she found a pack of cigarettes. Emma watched as the brunette put the cigarette between her lips and then groaned when she reached into her pockets once more. Apparently, she had forgot a lighter.

,,I have one if you.." the young man who was refilling her car said without finishing the sentence. He almost looked a bit scared to address Regina.

Emma sniffed. He looked about twelve. Nothing more than a _boy_. _And why does it bother you so much that Regina is talking to him_?

 _It doesn't_.

,,Thank you," Regina smiled and leaned forward as she young man reached within his own pockets and found a lighter. He almost looked proud when he succeeded in lighting the cigarette in the first attempt.

And Regina looked completely relived at the first drag on the cigarette. She leaned back against the car and her shoulder slumped down.

" _Do you have a lighter, miss Swan_?"

" _Sure. Why?_ "

" _Light my cigarette?_ "

" _Sure_."

 _Roni smiled and brushed a dark curl behind her ear as she leaned forward, allowing Emma to light the cigarette between her lips._

" _Thank you, miss Swan._ "

" _Always_ ," _Emma grinned as she tugged the lighter away in her pocket._ "

Emma balked at the memory in her head. She was so tired of this happening to her all the time. She was tired of seeing "Roni" everywhere. It was like Emma couldn't escape her. No matter what she did, "Roni" kept following her like a ghost.

She shook her head violently, as to try and _force_ the memory of the other woman out of her head. And the blonde watched as the guy finished refilling the Mercedes, and Regina finished her cigarette and snipped it into a nearby bin.

,,The car is all filled up."

,,Thank you."

,,Safe travels, miss."

,,Thank you," Regina said and re-entered the car.

Emma looked in the rear-view mirror as they left the gas station. The guy still stood and stared after the car.

,,So, next stop Hyperion Heights?" Emma asked as Regina steered the car out on the main road again.

,,Not quite."

,,Where then?" Emma frowned.

,,Belltown Inn." Regina said toneless. ,,I expected to make this journey on my own, so I booked a hotel room for the night. If I'm to create a portal _and_ have a big showdown with Lady Tremaine, then I will need at least _one_ night's good sleep."

,,Haven't you been sleeping well?" Emma asked boldly. _Are you seeing and hearing the same things as me_?

,,No," Regina said, and her brown eyes never left the road.

For a long while neither women said anything. All the questions Emma had for the brunette, died on her lips, and she couldn't think of a single, sensible thing to say right now. She didn't trust the words that would come out of her mouth if she spoke. Was afraid she would say something outrageous like: " _look at me._ "Or, " _don't drink the forgetting potion_. _I don't want you to forget anything_."

No, she couldn't say that. Because if she did, if she spoke her mind, everything would change. Nothing would ever be the same. And Regina would quite possibly throw her out of the car. And Emma really didn't feel like hitchhiking all the way to Seattle.

The amount of money Emma would have paid to know what Regina was thinking right now. The blonde had always thought she could read Regina like an open book, but now she saw absolutely nothing. The brunette's face was a smooth mask, completely emotionless as she kept her eyes firmly on the road. _Are you really regretting what happened in Seattle that much_? _Was it really so terrible_? _Being cursed and ending up with me_? _Will you never acknowledge what happened between us_? _Is this your way of telling me that we are never ever gonna talk about it again_? _Is that really what you want, pretend it never happened_?

 _I'm not sure I can do that_.

,,We're here." Regina interrupted Emma's inner monologue as they pulled up in front of a hotel.

,,Right."

Both women exited the car, and Regina grabbed a small bag from the trunk of the Mercedes. Emma only realized now that she didn't bring anything whatsoever. Not even a clean set of clothing.

,,You should call your husband and let him know that you've arrived safely.

,,Yeah."

 **To Be Continued..**


	25. Chapter 25

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 25:**

Belltown Inn didn't appear to be a ridiculously expensive place, but not exactly cheap either. Emma followed Regina into the hotel lobby.

,,I booked a room for one night," Regina said to the receptionist.

,,Name?"

,,Mills."

,,Ah yes, miss Mills. You booked the… queen room, am I correct?"

 _Seriously_? _The room was called "queen room_ "?

,,Yes, that is correct. But I think we're gonna need one more room for tonight," Regina said and glanced towards Emma.

,,One moment," the receptionist said and took her sweet time scrolling through the computer in front of her. After a long while she finally looked up and said: ,,I'm sorry, miss Mills, but there are no other rooms available for tonight."

Regina closed her eyes and Emma heard her exhale sharply. ,,Are you absolutely sure?"

,,Yes, I'm sorry. Everything is booked for tonight."

For a moment, Emma was sure that the brunette would fly into a rage fit and threaten to kill the receptionist unless she found another room. But Regina didn't. Instead she smiled sickeningly sweetly to the receptionist and said: ,,Well, I suppose we have to make due then."

,,Enjoy your stay," the receptionist said and handed Regina a key with the number "7" on it.

,,Thank you."

Regina spun around on her heel and walked towards the long hall. ,,Please keep up," she said over her shoulder.

Emma silently followed the brunette down the hall until they reached the right door. Regina unlocked the door and swung it open.

A large room met Emma's eyes. And even though the hotel had looked modest from outside, no doubt this was one of the most expensive room there was. Complete with balcony, own bathroom, probably a bathtub, even a small kitchenette. And…

Emma gulped and tried to swallow the gigantic lump forming in her throat.

One queen sized bed. Singular. Not two beds. _One_ bed.

Regina frowned deeply as she followed Emma's gaze to the bed. ,,Do you mind checking if that… that.. _thing_ is separable?"

,,It's.." Emma cleared her throat. Suddenly it felt completely dry. ,,It's a queen size bed. I don't think you _can_ separate it."

,,Wonderful." Regina turned her gaze to the floor and grabbed her bag, most likely to unpack.

,,It's gonna be alright, it's not like we haven't…" Emma stopped immediately at the look Regina gave her.

,,Kindly don't finish whatever sentence you were gonna say," the brunette muttered and disappeared into the bathroom.

 _Shared a bed_. _It's not like we haven't shared a bed before_.

There wasn't much unpacking to do for Emma. The only thing she could do was taking her red leather jacket of and stuffing it into the closet along with her beanie. She felt on edge. And it wasn't just because the rescue mission lying ahead of them.

After something that felt like five thousand years, Regina returned from the bathroom and stuffed the bag away in the closet

,,Are you hungry?" the brunette asked and ran a finger through her hair.

,,What?"

,,We should probably eat something. We need all the strength we can get tomorrow," Regina mused more to herself than to Emma.

Emma didn't argue with that. They had been on the road all day, and she couldn't deny that she was hungry.

Regina ordered a modest but nice meal, neither of them felt like heading down to the restaurant, so they ended up eating in the room instead.

The atmosphere in the room was not far off from feeling like a graveyard, Emma thought to herself, and the tension was as thick as cold pie cream.

But Regina seemed determined to keep her mouth shut and not interacting with Emma in anyway. The brunette _had_ however, made several trips to the balcony where she smoked cigarette after cigarette. It looked to Emma like a compulsive act. Something she _had_ to do. Was Regina _nervous_?

No, Emma thought to herself. Regina was never nervous, and she had made it very clear how she felt about the whole mess. It was something that should be kept quiet and preferably forgotten as soon as possible.

Emma couldn't deny that she was relieved when Regina announced that she was going to bed. Having the brunette so close and not being able to talk to her in any way was aggravating.

Emma curled up in a chair and looked out of the window, overlooking the Seattle skyline. She remembered one particular morning where she had looked out of "Roni's" window and seeing the strange, purple smoke for the first time. How happy she had been that particular morning. How _simple_ life had been in Seattle. Just Emma and Roni opening the bar for the evening and testing the newest drinks.

Emma balked when she realized that she was dreaming about another life. A life where her husband didn't have a part.

She shouldn't be thinking like that. _You are dreaming about a cursed life, Emma. A false life. And you are yearning after a woman who doesn't even exist. Who never existed in the first place_.

 _Roni doesn't exist_. That thought formed a large lump in Emma's throat and made her vision go slightly blurry.

But.. if Roni didn't exist, then why did Emma keep seeing her in each and every single thing Regina did? She saw the denim clad bartender's grin in Regina's rare smiles, and she heard Roni's adorable accent every time Regina spoke. Maybe she was going mad. Maybe she would be better off in a rubber cell dozed up on medicine or something like that.

Emma was pulled out of her thoughts when she saw a reflection of Regina in the window. Was the brunette watching her? Emma quickly turned her head, but Regina had already turned her back on her and curled under the covers in the enormous bed.

Emma went into the bathroom and luckily, she found a spare toothbrush, a deodorant and a hairbrush in one of the cupboards. But as she released her golden hair from the ponytail, she realized that she didn't bring a pajama with her. Not even a long nightshirt or something like that. Damn it. Well, sleeping in her skinny jeans were definitely out of the question. She would most likely choke to dead before morning if she chose to do that.

Emma sighed heavily when she realized that there was only one thing to do. The blonde shimmied out of her jeans and tugged her tanktop down over her thighs as much as she could. The material didn't provide much cover, but it was better than nothing. Emma quickly brushed her teeth and left the bathroom without giving her reflection a second glance.

Regina was completely curled up under the covers and if Emma didn't know better, she would say that the brunette was asleep. That was probably the best thing anyway. Emma slipped into the bed, laying as far away from Regina as possible. The brunette didn't move as Emma wrapped the blankets around herself and curled up in a ball. But Emma was certain that Regina wasn't asleep. Her breathing was too fast and uneasy, so unless the brunette had a nightmare, she was definitely faking being asleep. And not faking very well.

Emma quietly huffed out a breath. She was wide awake, and it didn't seem like sleep would come to her anytime soon. She shifted, rolled on to her stomach. Found that it wasn't a very comfortable sleeping position, rolled on to her back again, tossed and turned and somehow she ended up with her back pressed against Regina's.

She felt how the brunette went completely stiff at the touch- the illusion of being asleep broken for a moment.

,,I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…" Emma immediately stammered and felt how her neck was going flush.

Regina didn't respond in any way to Emma's stuttering apologies. She simply moved further away from the blonde.

 _She probably only have about an inch of bed to sleep on_. _She must really not want to be near me at all_.

That realization hurt quite a bit, and Emma did her best to shake the feeling off her. She should be thinking about her son instead. This was what this whole trip was about. Saving Henry, Lucy and Ella, and reunite them with the rest of the family back in Storybrooke.

Henry would be happy to return home to Storybrooke after all these years. Emma couldn't imagine that he would want to return to The Enchanted Forest and start a life there. Emma herself, was really sick of constantly ending up in that place. Snow and David would be delighted to have their grandson and great granddaughter back. And Killian. He was so fond of Henry. Loved him like a son. Emma once again felt a gigantic lump forming in her throat, and she felt like a monster for what she was doing. It was _wrong_ of her to push this good and kind man away, it was _wrong_ of her to reject his affection, his love again and again.

And yet.. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't force herself to feel what she used to feel for him. The new curse had turned her world upside down and changed everything.

Emma sighed deeply, and this time louder. This was _hopeless_. And not only her whole situation, but also lying wide awake in this bed, in this hotel room.

,,Regina?" she tried quietly.

No answer. Just breathing.

Maybe the brunette really _had_ fallen asleep by now. It was getting late, and Emma knew she ought to be asleep as well. Tomorrow would probably be one hell of a day no matter how things went down with Lady Tremaine.

Emma shifted to lay on her side again. She tried her best to wind down and finding her "comfortable" place. But she didn't quite succeed.

,,Yes?"

So Regina wasn't asleep any way. And furthermore, she had in fact heard Emma. And she even _answered_ her.

,,You aren't asleep," Emma said matter of factly.

,,No."

,,Why aren't you asleep?" Emma asked, and she could hear how the brunette exhaled slowly.

,,Why aren't _you_?" Regina shot back.

,,I… can't," Emma said truthfully.

,,No. Me neither."

 _Okay, this is hellish_. Emma turned around. Regina was still facing away from her, and maybe it would be better if Emma simply closed her eyes and left well enough alone. But she couldn't. The tension was unbearable. Emma hesitantly stretched a hand out towards Regina. Did she dare to touch the other woman? Would Regina bite at her or swat her hand away? Emma's hand hovered a few seconds before she very, very slowly put it on Regina's shoulder.

And Regina didn't swat her hand away, or yell at her. Instead the brunette turned around, coming face to face with Emma.

Emma was surprised to see how Regina's eyes reflected all of her own doubts and questions and insecurities. She had never seen Regina look so vulnerable as she did right now.

Once again, Emma did the completely mad thing. She carefully touched Regina's cheek with her fingertips. Regina stiffened, but didn't flinch or move.

 _I don't want her to flinch when I touch her. I… I want her._

Emma took a wild shot, a leap of fate. Still with her fingertips resting on Regina's cheek, the blonde leaned in and pressed a light kiss to Regina's lips.

Regina stayed exactly where she was, and Emma cupped her face as they kissed each other.

Emma felt how the chemistry immediately flared up, and she could taste a small snippet of her earthly paradise when she and Regina kissed. _I was wrong_. _Roni and Regina aren't two different people. They are… they are the same. It's Regina. It has always been Regina._

Not wanting to let go of her paradise, Emma entangled her fingers in silky, dark hair and kissed her in a more desperate manner. It was like everything clicked and fell into place. This, _this_ was how it was supposed to be. It had to. Emma released Regina's hair from her fingers and allowed her hands to travel down Regina's body instead. She clutched at the brunette's hips, tried to shift them so Regina was on top of her.

But it was like that made Regina snap out of it, and her hands, which had been clutching at Emma's back, suddenly pushed the blonde away instead.

,,Emma, Emma stop!" she said, voice trembling as she scrambled away from Emma and sat up in the bed. ,,This isn't.. this is..." For a moment she looked like she was about to say "wrong", but instead she landed on: ,,This isn't a good idea."

Emma immediately felt how her paradise dissolved into nothing, and she gave herself five seconds to mourn the loss before she silently agreed with Regina. As perfect as it had felt, there was still about a million things wrong with this picture.

,,I'm… I'm sorry." _Except I'm not. Not really_.

Regina nodded, the smooth mask back on her face.

Emma was going to apologize a bit more sincerely for kissing her, when her cellphone ringed. Utterly confused and not quite there, the blonde scrambled around to find her phone, but Regina was faster and handed Emma the phone with a quiet: ,,It's your husband. You better answer it."

And so Emma did. And by the time she had ended the call, she found Regina curled up under the blankets, faking sleep once again.

 **To Be Continued…?**


	26. Chapter 26

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 26:**

The following morning, Regina seemed determined to keep her mouth about what had happened the previous night.

Emma however, _was_ not, and as soon as Regina returned from the bathroom (with her hair still damp and _curly_ from the steam in the bathroom), the blonde opened her mouth and said:

,,Regina, look, last night… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have ki…"

But Regina just held her hand up to silence Emma. ,,The only thing that matters right now is getting Henry home safely."

The implication was clear: we're not gonna talk about this. Ever. And Regina's face was once again the smooth, emotionless mask as she sat down in a chair, rolling something between her fingers.

,,What is that?" Emma asked and eyed the small object between the brunette's fingers.

Regina held up the little magic bean. ,,I managed to get my hands on the last two magic beans in Storybrooke. One for the trip to Hyperion Heights. And one to take us all back here again."

,,And how did you get those?" Emma asked curiously. She wasn't aware that there were any more magic beans left.

,,Rumplestiltskin was kind enough to give them to me."

,,Just like that?"

,,Just like that," Regina confirmed and Emma frowned.

,,What, he didn't want to make a _deal_ with you?"

,,No."

Emma's eyebrows rose further. Changed or not, Rumpelstiltskin still liked his deals, of course he didn't make any deals any more, Belle and Gideon had softened him considerably, but still, the Rumplestiltskin Emma knew would have at least warned Regina in his own way.

,,Regina?"

,,Mm?" Regina said without looking up, still rolling the bean between her fingers.

,,Are you sure you got those beans from Rumplestiltskin?"

,,Yes of course."

But Emma was positive that the brunette was lying. She knew Regina well enough to know when she was telling the truth, and she definitely didn't right now. Emma got worried for a moment. How and where did Regina get those beans? Emma watched as the brunette glided her fingers over the bean, gradually filling it up with what looked like magic.

,,Where did you get those beans?" the blonde tried again.

,,I already told you."

,,You're lying," Emma said softly; desperately trying not to upset Regina. ,,Look, I'm not trying to accuse you of anything, I'm just concerned that's all, so can't you just tell me where.."

,,Maleficent." Regina cut her off.

,,What?"

,,Maleficent gave them to me, alright?" Regina snapped. ,,How and where she found them is no concern to you, so kindly stop asking."

 _Maleficent again_. Emma's stomach churned. She wasn't aware that Regina and Maleficent were such _pals_ these days. But apparently, they were, otherwise Maleficent wouldn't have provided Regina with magic beans, would she?

But she could tell by Regina's face that the subject was very much closed. So Emma bit back all of her questions and silently watched as Regina continuously waved her hand over the magic bean.

And then Emma's phone ringed. This time it was Snow.

,,Hi mom."

,,What's going on right now, Emma? Are you still in Seattle?"

,,Yes. Regina's working on getting the magic bean to work."

,,Magic bean? Where did she get that?" Snow asked.

,,I.. don't know," Emma lied, not really knowing _why_ she was lying. ,,But if that's what it takes to get us to Henry, then I don't care."

,,Right. David and I miss you," Snow sighed. ,,I hope you'll be back soon."

,,Yeah. I miss you too. So much. But hey, I'm sure I'll be back very soon, alright?"

,,Emma?"

,,Yeah?"

,,Is everything alright?" Snow asked quietly in the other end of the phone.

,,Yes of course. I'm just worried about Henry." And she _was_. But that wasn't the only thing nagging her right now.

,,Are you sure? You sound a bit.. I don't know, off."

,,I'm fine mom. I promise, I really am," Emma assured and heard a hissing sound coming from behind her. She turned around to see Regina with the now hissing and glowing magic bean in her hand.

,,I gotta go. The portal is ready."

,,Alright. Bring him back, honey. Bring all of them home."

,,We will."

,,And tell Regina I said hi."

,,I will. I love you mom. See you very soon," Emma yapped off and hung up.

And then it occurred to her that she hadn't asked for or about Killian. How he was doing and that normal kind of stuff she would have asked him about before.

,,Shall we get going?" Regina asked.

,,Yeah." Emma stuffed the phone back in her pocket and watched as Regina grabbed her coat and put it on. ,,Are you sure that bean will take us to Henry?"

,,No," Regina said plainly. ,,But it's the best shot we've got right now."

,,And what if we end up in the Enchanted Forest instead?" Emma inquired with a raised eyebrow.

,,Then we'll seek out my other half and have her help us home again." Regina shrugged. It seemed like she had an answer for everything today.

Emma watched as the brunette threw the glowing bean on the hotel floor. The bean immediately hissed and puffed purple smoke everywhere, and for a moment it looked like it wasn't going to work, but then the bean created a swirling hole in the middle of the floor.

,,It would appear to be working," Regina said businesslike.

,,Yeah. On the count of three?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded, and Emma couldn't help but move closer to the brunette and take her hand. Regina stiffened but didn't pull her hand out of the blonde's grasp.

,,One," Emma counted.

,,Two," Regina said, and Emma felt a tiny little pressure on her hand. Did Regina just squeeze her hand? And if so, had it been an accident or on purpose?

But Emma didn't get the chance to ask her about it before Regina said: ,,Emma? Are you ready?"

,,Yeah. I'm ready."

,,Three!" both women said and Emma held her breath as they jumped through the portal, leaving the hotel room behind them.

Emma groaned as her body landed hard on the ground. Once again, the wind had been knocked out of her, and she gasped to catch her breath.

,,Are you alright?" she heard Regina ask, and the blonde struggled to come up in a sitting position on the ground. Regina was hovering over her, one hand stretched out toward the blonde.

,,Yeah. I'm fine," Emma said and eagerly accepted the outstretched hand. ,,But portal jumping is never gonna be my favorite thing to do."

,,Nor mine," Regina muttered as she pulled Emma up from the ground. ,,But we succeeded."

Emma looked around as she stood up and brushed dirt of her jeans. They were indeed back in Hyperion Heights. But this definitely wasn't the Hyperion Heights she remembered. Most of the buildings were destroyed, signs had been torn down, trees were blocking the road, and there was completely quiet.

,,It looks like a ghost town," the blonde said. ,,What the hell has this crazy bitch been up to?"

,,I don't know. But I don't like this." Regina answered sternly.

Neither did Emma. The town was too quiet. So quiet it seemed a bit ominous.

,,Any chance you brought your gun?" Regina asked.

Emma patted her pockets. ,,Yep. I was on my way to work when my plans changed."

,,Right." Regina bent down slightly and touched the ground. The road immediately lighted up, creating a purple trail.

,,What are you doing?" Emma inquired. She hadn't come across that spell before.

,,I'm trailing our son," Regina said and looked at the purple trail that went in several directions. ,,This trail will tell us where he has been while we were gone, and hopefully lead us to him in the end."

Emma looked at the glowing trail. There were several paths to choose.

Regina followed her gaze. ,,Perhaps it would be better if we…"

,,No way," Emma interrupted sternly and put her hands on her hips. ,,We are _not_ splitting up."

,, _Fine_ ," Regina half snapped. ,,Then kindly keep up, I would like to find Henry before nightfall."

,,So would I," Emma shot back. ,,He's _my_ son too."

Regina didn't comment further on it, she simply started walking, following the first path the trail provided them with.

Emma followed and kept up, just like Regina had told her to. Being back in Hyperion Heights felt strange. The last time she had been here, she had been running down the street with _Roni_. That thought made her stomach clench painfully.

But before she could get the chance to become upset about it, her thoughts were interrupted by Regina who said: ,,You _have_ to be kidding me!"

Emma quickly found the reason as to why the brunette was upset. The first trail had let them straight to Roni's Bar.

,,Why the hell would he chose to come _here_?" Regina said through gritted teeth.

,,Maybe he needed a drink?" Emma quipped half-heartedly.

,,Is that supposed to be _funny_?" Regina snapped as she headed towards the bar.

And no, Emma couldn't really see the amusing part in this, she thought to herself as they headed into the bar.

Everything was exactly as the day they left. Bottles and shot glasses lined up on the counter, and, Emma's heart clenched painfully….

There was Roni's ragged leather jacket, slung nonchalantly over one of the barstools. Waiting for the owner of the bar to come back and put it on.

But Roni would never be coming back, Emma knew this, but it still hurt to see her old clothes lying around.

,,Well, he's not here, that's for sure," Regina muttered. ,,But I'm fairly certain he's been here."

,,Maybe he left a clue upstairs?" Emma suggested.

,,Could be. Keep up," Regina said over her shoulder as she walked up the stairs to Roni's apartment.

But Emma lingered for a second, and once Regina had disappeared up the stairs, the blonde took the leather jacket between her fingers and brought it up to her face. _Archie would have a field day with me_ , Emma thought as she inhaled deeply, as to force the remains of Roni's scent into her lungs. Maybe her imagination was playing tricks with her, but she was sure she could still smell the faint scent of Roni's perfume on the jacket. Yes, she could most definitely smell the fruity scent of Roni's perfume mixed with the faint scent of alcohol and cigarettes. And then she realized, that apart from the alcohol, Regina had smelled _exactly_ like that last night when they had..

,,Emma? What's taking you so long?"

,,I'm coming," Emma said quickly and dropped the jacket.

Regina was waiting for her at the top of the stairs. ,,What were you doing down there?"

,,Nothing," Emma quickly dismissed and opened the door to Roni's apartment. ,,Let's go in."

Regina stepped inside, and Emma shuddered as she followed the brunette. The place seemed abandoned. But not ghost-like like the bar had been. Emma was shocked that the apartment for some reason seemed to have waited for them to come back. And everything had been left exactly like it was when they last were there. Plates on the table, frying pan on the stove, one of Emma's beanies left on a chair, memories from a different life. And finally, Roni's camera lying on the coffee table. That had been her hobby. Always photographing everything:

" _What are you doing?" Emma laughed._

 _Roni smirked._ " _what does it look like I'm doing, dear_?"

" _hey, you stop that!_ " _Emma laughed-protested as Roni snapped picture after picture of her._

" _No way_ ," _Roni sniggered._ " _I happen to take pictures of beautiful things, and you miss Swan, is absolutely exquisite_!"

" _But I'm eating_!" _Emma protested._

 _Roni rolled her dark eyes dramatically_. " _Then stop shoving food down your throat and come here and take a picture with me instead_."

" _If I do, will you let me eat in peace then_?" _Emma teased. The truth was that she didn't mind Roni snapping pictures of her one bit_.

" _You have my word.._ "

Emma blinked. The flashback quickly dissolved into nothing. And that was for the best. She shouldn't be doing this to herself, it wasn't fair.

But Emma had never been one to listen to sensibility, so she rummaged through the camera bag, desperate searching for the result of Roni's improvised photo session. Her heart stopped for a moment when she finally found the photo. Herself with an arm around Roni, smiling broadly and bit goofily to the camera. And Roni. So beautiful in a Rick James shirt with her hair in unruly curls. Emma could almost see how they bounced around her face. Roni was smiling too, almost smirking at the camera with Emma's arm around her.

 _God, we look so happy_. _This isn't fair_. _She's so beautiful_.

Emma found more pictures in the camera bag. Quite a few of them was just herself and Roni goofing around and laughing. Emma clearly remembered Roni's laugh and her insisting on "using the camera for something sensible". And Emma found the result of that at the bottom of the camera bag. A picture of herself and Roni jokingly kissing each other while both of them cradled Lady in their arms.

Emma sucked in a breath. It was like physically being stabbed in the heart, seeing those pictures again. But on the other hand, she wanted to keep those memories forever.

,,Why the fuck am I doing this to myself?" she asked loudly as she stuffed the pictures safely away in her pocket.

,,Did you say something?"

,,No," Emma said quickly and stepped away from the camera as Regina emerged from the small hall.

,,You haven't found anything?"

,,No. Nothing."

,,I'm still positive he's been here," Regina said firmly. ,,I can sense his energy all around the place."

,,Where do you suppose he is now?"

,,I don't know. Hopefully somewhere safe. Let's get out of here." Regina said.

,,Yeah." Emma willingly followed the brunette, but stopped briefly and craned her neck to look into the bedroom. The bed was still unmade, and the sheets still tangled.

 **To Be Continued…**


	27. Chapter 27

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 27:**

,,Where the _hell_ is he?!" Regina said frustrated and stomped her feet into the ground. ,,We've been searching for him all day, and we have _nothing_!"

,,We'll find him," Emma said, rushing to calm the brunette. ,,We'll find him and his family and get them back to Storybrooke, do you hear me?"

Regina nodded, but she bit her lip and suddenly seemed rather uncomfortable for some reason.

,,What?" Emma asked. ,,What is it?"

,,Nothing." Regina dismissed and shook her head, but she still looked worried.

,,That's not true," Emma insisted. ,,You are hiding something from me. What is it?"

Regina sucked in a breath. ,,About that magic bean I have for the journey home…"

,,Yes?"

,,It only lasts so long," Regina mumbled without looking at Emma.

,,What?! What are you saying?"

,,That the bean will only work for twenty four hours. So if we don't find them and bring them back before that…"

,,We'll be stuck in Seattle," Emma finished the sentence.

,,Yes. I'm sorry, Emma. But I expected to make this journey on my own and…"

,,And _what_?" Emma hissed quietly. ,,You would risk getting stuck here for good without telling any of us?"

,,Let's hope it won't come to _that_ ," Regina muttered. ,,Of course we'll find him."

But she still looked completely disheartened and small, like she was shrinking in her fur collar coat. Emma instinctively moved closer to the brunette and took her hand.

Regina instantly flinched and pulled her hand away from Emma's grasp. ,,What are you doing?!"

Emma stalled. What _was_ she doing, and more importantly, _why_ was she doing it?

,,Don't." Regina said coldly, firmly, and Emma saw a glimpse of the Madam Mayor in her eyes. ,,We are here to find our son and absolutely nothing else, got it?"

,,Yeah." Emma said. Nothing else. Once again, she didn't trust her own voice. She simply followed Regina down the road as they continued their search for their lost son.

But two hours later, they were absolutely none the wiser. Henry, Lucy or Ella was nowhere to be found, and time was ticking now. The magic bean would only last so long, and they were nearly out of time now.

,,What do you suppose will happen to us if we don't make it back in time?" Emma asked as they raced down the street.

,,I would prefer not to know," Regina muttered in response.

,,You will revert to your cursed selves again," a voice said, and Emma and Regina stopped abruptly.

,,Drizilla?" Emma said when she recognized the young woman.

,,I'm sorry," Drizilla said. ,,I'm sorry it has come to this."

,,Where is Henry?" Regina snapped. ,,Where is she keeping him?"

,,I don't know," Drizilla said, tears glistening in her eyes. ,,This isn't even about him. It's about Lucy."

,,Lucy?" Emma echoed. ,,Why?"

,,Don't you see?" Drizilla said. ,,She has always been jealous of Ella, how good and kind and smart she is. And when she had Lucy… I think something in her snapped. She couldn't bear that her stepdaughter got such a wonderful daughter when she ended up stuck with… me."

Regina's nostrils flared as she turned to Emma. ,,I think it's time you and I had a little chat with Lady Tremaine."

,,I agree," Emma said. ,,Drizilla, _where_ is she keeping Lucy?"

,,She has a place underneath her office," Drizilla said. ,,Like an underground house or something like that."

,,How original," Regina scoffed dryly. ,,Let's hope it's a bit more luxurious than the basement then."

,,Let's go," Emma said firmly, and the brunette nodded.

The two women spun around and raced towards Lady Tremaine's office.

,,And I served her _drinks_ ," Regina spat as they reached the office.

Emma didn't know how to respond to that. She remembered that she had met Lady Tremaine at "Roni's" bar one night. And been jealous.

Emma and Regina used magic to force their way into Lady Tremaine's office, and it didn't take them long to come across an elevator. Seemingly leading to nowhere.

,,She's not very original is she?" Regina said as both women got into the elevator.

,,Not really."

,,But a bit old fashioned," Regina continued as they had to swing a handle to bring the elevator down.

A few seconds after the elevator stopped and Emma and Regina got out. Emma started. As opposite to the creepy basement, this was a _house_. A fucking _house_ tugged away underground, complete with living room, kitchen, several bedrooms and something that looked like a spa.

,,Good god," Regina muttered, and it didn't take long for Emma to spot the source of her words. The walls were covered in neatly framed pictures, all of Lucy and Lady Tremaine. But as opposite, to the pictures Emma found in Roni's apartment, all of these were fake. Emma was sure they were. There was no way Lucy would have posed and smiled so sweetly with Lady Tremaine beside her.

,,It looks like she's.. trying to create a perfect, fake life for Lucy or something like that," Emma said as they spotted a room, nicely decorated with pink furniture's and cutesy, girly wall art. ,,Just look at all this," the blonde continued. The room was packed with expensive toys, exquisite dresses and a large selection of different hairbows in any shade possible.

,,A perfect, fake life underground," Regina answered and stared in disbelief. ,,Just how insane is this bitch?"

She soon found her answer to that question, when they found Lady Tremaine in one of the kitchens, holding on to a struggling Lucy and seemingly trying to force her to drink some sort of potion.

,,Lucy, I'm not telling you again," Lady Tremaine sneered. ,,Drink that potion _now_!"

,,I won't!" Lucy shouted. ,,You can't force me, and you are never gonna win!"

,,Win?" Lady Tremaine laughed coldly. ,,But, my dear girl, I _have_ already won."

,,Are you quite sure of that?" Regina drawled.

Lady Tremaine froze while Lucy yelled: ,,Grandmas!"

Recovering fast, Lady Tremaine put the potion down and grabbed Lucy. ,,Well, well. I see returning to Storybrooke changed you quite a bit, Regina."

,,Let her go," Emma snarled.

,,And why should I?" Lady Tremaine drawled. ,,She's also _my_ granddaughter, Savior."

,,I don't think you are fit to be anybody's grandmother," Emma said dryly. ,,Now let her go!"

,,No," Lady Tremaine hissed and reached behind her and grabbed the goblet. She grabbed Lucy's chin roughly and tried to force the potion into the girl's mouth. Lucy screamed and struggled, and Regina, obviously snapping, rushed to her granddaughters aid and knocked the goblet out of Lady's Tremaine's hand. The other woman didn't take kindly to that, and shoved Lucy out of the way, concentrating on Regina instead. She smiled coldly and clenched her fist in the air. Emma had seen Regina do that a multiple of times, and she knew that Lady Tremaine was trying to "air-choke" Regina.

,,Oh, no you don't," Regina hissed and somehow managed to get the upper hand, clenching her own hand, making Lady Tremaine gasp for air and claw at her own throat.

,,How does it feel then?" Regina taunted and tightened her magical grip on Lady Tremaine's neck. ,,Being stripped of all your power?"

Emma blinked as Lady Tremaine began wheezing, her lips slowly turning blue. Regina was really going for it, and it wouldn't be long before Lady Tremaine would choke to dead.

,,Regina," Emma said. ,,Regina, I think that's enough."

,, _I_ don't think so," Regina hissed darkly and tightened her grip further. Lady Tremaine sounded like she was gagging.

,,Stop," Emma said quietly. ,,You're killing her."

,,That was my intention."

,,Regina, think of Lucy," Emma begged. ,,You wouldn't want her to see her grandmother like this, would you?"

Regina's lowered her hand slightly.

,,Kill me," Lady Tremaine coaxed. ,,Go on. We both know you want it."

Without any warning, Regina released her magical grip and made Lady Tremaine fall to the floor with a thud. The other woman gasped for air and coughed.

,,Not today," Regina said, and then: ,, _Where_ is my son?"

,,He's here!" Lucy piped up. ,,Both him and mom is locked away in the back room."

,,Very well. Lucy, dear, can you take me to them?" Regina asked. Lucy instantly went over and grabbed Regina by the hand.

,,Keep an eye on grandmother of the year," Regina said over her shoulder. Emma nodded and found her gun. She wasn't about to get overthrown by some surprise attack from Lady Tremaine. And even though, Regina might be thinking differently, Emma was very willing to shoot her if necessary.

Lady Tremaine was still coughing and clawing at her throat, but her voice didn't tremble when she said: ,,You didn't let her kill me."

,,No."

,,Why not?"

,,Because that's not the way we do things," Emma said plainly.

,,Or," Lady Tremaine smirked. ,,Could it because you feel that you _owe_ me?"

,,What the hell are you on about?" Emma snapped.

,,I brought you together, didn't I?" Lady Tremaine drawled. ,,My curse gave you everything you ever wanted."

,,Shut up."

,,My, my. Not even denying it, are you Savior?"

,,I said _shut up_!" Emma hissed.

Lady Tremaine's lips curled into a smile. ,,I can see the yearning in your eyes, dear. Lying about it would be rather pointless."

Emma remained in place with the gun raised.

,,So I have a suggestion for you, Savior," Lady Tremaine continued. ,,Let's strike a deal."

,,I'm not making any deals with you."

,,You let me have that last magical bean Regina is carrying with her.."

,,And why the hell would I do that?!"

,,Think about it, Savior," Lady Tremaine purred. ,,I'll disappear from your lives forever, _and_ you would have your bartender back. Hmm? Wouldn't that be nice, Savior? After all, you _miss_ her, don't you?"

And for a brief, mad second Emma saw how her life with Roni could be here in Hyperion Heights.

,,You could have it all," Lady Tremaine coaxed. ,,Your son. Your granddaughter. And Roni. A whole new life with her."

Emma swallowed thickly, the memories of Roni's smile over breakfast lingered in her mind.

,,Just say the word, Savior. Say the word and you would be in bed with your bartender by tonight."

Emma blinked, the vision of Roni disappearing, replaced by a horrified Regina waking up from the curse. ,,No," the blonde said firmly. ,,I am not going to betray her. You are not going to win."

Lady Tremaine was completely unfazed by this and smiled. ,,Win? But my dear, I _have_ already won. Everything you once thought you wanted is suddenly unimportant to you, because my little curse made you _fall in love_ with the former evil queen."

,,That's enough," Emma said and raised the gun further. ,,Talking time is over."

The blonde heard footsteps approaching, and then Regina, Lucy, Henry and Ella emerged.

,,Henry!" Emma instantly flew over and hugged her son tightly. ,,Are you alright?"

,,Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Henry assured and hugged his mother tightly.

It took several minutes before Emma let go of her son and turned to her daughter in law: ,,Ella?"

,,I'm alright too," the young woman said. ,,Just a bit tired, that's all." Henry wrapped an arm around her, and they both smiled down at Lucy who was clutching both storybooks.

,,What about _her_?" Emma said and looked at Lady Tremaine who was sneering at them, still rubbing her throat.

,,I suppose we have to bring her with us," Regina sighed. ,,Hyperion Heights will disappear for good when we leave, and I don't like the thought of her rummaging around in The Enchanted Forest."

Henry nodded. ,,That's a good idea. Ella, do you still have the cuff?"

,,You bet," Ella said firmly and placed the cuff around her stepmothers wrist. ,,No more magic tricks from you."

Lady Tremaine sneered.

,,I don't know about you," Henry said and squeezed Lucy's shoulder. ,,But I have had just about enough of Hyperion Heights."

,,I couldn't agree more," Regina nodded. ,,Let's get out of here." She reached within her pocket and found the magic bean, slowly filling it up with purple swirls of magic.

,,Come on," Emma snipped and hauled Lady Tremaine up. ,,You are coming with us."

,,My daughter!" Lady Tremaine.

,,Oh, don't worry dear," Regina drawled. ,,I'm pretty sure young Drizilla will be far better off without you. There was a young man in the Enchanted Forest she was fond of, am I correct?"

Lady Tremaine had nothing further to say about that, and Regina threw the bean on the floor. A swirling hole immediately appeared on the floor.

Henry, Ella and Lucy took each other's hands and jumped into the swirling hole. And Regina unceremoniously pushed Lady Tremaine through the portal.

,,You ready?" Emma asked.

,,As ready as I'll ever be," Regina muttered, and Emma took her hand as they jumped through the portal.

 **To Be Continued..**


	28. Chapter 28

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 28:**

Emma once again groaned as her body collided with the floor with a hard thud. She felt sore _everywhere_ , and she was sure that her body was one big bruise from travelling like this.

,,Ow," she complained and rubbed her elbow.

,,Are you alright?" Henry asked.

,,Yeah, I'm good," Emma assured as she stood up and ran a finger through her ruffled hair. She watched as Regina helped Lucy up and then stretched a hand out towards Ella. The young woman quickly accepted it and took Regina's hand.

,,If you aren't too tired," Regina said and smoothened her hair. ,,Then I would really like to get back to Storybrooke tonight."

,,So would I," Henry nodded and rubbed his face.

,,I want to go home," Lucy agreed, and Emma saw how her brave façade crumpled, the little girl was on the verge of tears now that everything was over.

Henry quickly gave her a hug and Emma heard him whisper: ,,It's okay. It's over, kiddo. Everything is going to be fine from now on." He took Ella's hand and squeezed it gently.

,,Let's get on the road," Regina muttered, and Emma saw how tired she looked. Completely worn out.

Emma nodded and hauled the half unconscious lady Tremaine up from the floor. Then all five of them left the hotel room, and Emma couldn't help but feel a bit impressed when Regina sweetly returned the key and praised "the lovely room" to the receptionist. God, that woman could act.

Luckily, they all five fitted into the Mercedes (lady Tremaine was placed in the backseat between Henry, Ella and Emma. Lucy took the front seat, and the young girl chatted on with Regina about her experiences in Hyperion Heights.

They drove mile after mile, and Emma thought she could feel Henry glancing between her and Regina every so often, but she couldn't quite figure out why. Maybe he was just tired from everything that had happened so far. Emma reached over and patted his hand reassuringly. Everything would be good from now on.

Emma repeatedly offered Regina to drive the rest of the way, but Regina almost coldly snubbed her off. No, she wasn't tired. Of course she could manage to drive the rest of the way.

Once they were getting closer to Storybrooke, Emma finally called home, and the blonde involuntarily cringed when Killian answered with a worried: ,,Luv! Are you alright?"

,,Yeah. I'm alright. We're on our way home with Henry and Ella and Lucy. And a prisoner."

,,You caught lady Tremaine," Killian said and grinned. ,,I knew you could do it, Swan."

,,It wasn't me," Emma snapped. How dared he to give her credit for something she had no part in? ,,It was Regina."

,,Don't be so modest, Swan," Killian said and then, more softly: ,,I can't wait to see you again. I've missed you."

,,Mhmm. Missed you too," Emma answered stifled, but truthfully, she hadn't given her husband much thought the past two days. And she certainly wasn't thinking about him last night when she ki..

,,I love you, Emma," Killian interrupted her train of thoughts.

,,Yeah, me, too," Emma parroted and hung up. That was the second time within two days she had failed to say it back, she noted. God, she was digging herself in too deep.

And much like when they ventured out on this trip, Regina's eyes were stubbornly focusing on the road, and she didn't say anything to Emma, unless Emma spoke directly to her.

Emma sighed quietly. Just how the hell was she supposed to go home and put on a smile for her husband?

They drove all night, and finally, by midday, the next day, they reached the "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign. Emma held her breath as they crossed the timeline. Her wedding ring glowed purple once more.

,,Does everybody remember who they are?" Regina asked. It was the first time she opened her mouth since they had started the journey home.

,,Yeah," Emma said and Ella, Henry and Lucy nodded.

Lady Tremaine muttered something that sounded like "sadly yes," but no one took interest in her.

Half of Storybrooke seemed determined to give them a proper welcome home, all the dwarfs, Snow, David, Killian, Zelena, Archie, Gold and Belle all stood lined up on the pavement when Regina parked the car.

,,That's what I call a welcome home committee," Henry said and grinned at Lucy. The young girl immediately jumped out of the car and threw herself into her great grandparent's arms. Snow and Charming instantly enveloped her in a family hug. Ella and Henry exited the car as well.

,,Henry! Ella!" Snow squealed and hugged both of them tightly.

Emma couldn't hear a thing. Everybody was talking at once; her head was spinning and she was so tired.

,,Welcome home, luv," Killian said softly and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

,,Thanks." Emma allowed herself to lean into his touch for a moment.

,,I hate to bust up the party," Regina said tiredly and dragged a reluctant lady Tremaine over to Killian. ,,But she's all yours, sheriff."

 _Who are you talking about. Me or lady Tremaine_?

,,Aye. We have a nice cell waiting for you," Killian sneered and grabbed lady Tremaine's arm.

Lady Tremaine seemed completely unfazed by that, and she smiled provokingly at Emma as her eyes darted back and forward between Killian and Regina who was receiving a hug from her sister.

,,This is wonderful," Snow said and smiled broadly. ,,Finally having all of you home again."

,,It's good to be back again," Henry smiled with an arm around Lucy and Ella.

,,This definitely calls for a celebration," David nodded.

,,Aye. We should have a party," Killian added and squeezed Emma's shoulder. ,,What do you say, luv? A good old-fashioned party with plenty of food for everybody."

,,That sounds great," Emma replied, not completely truthfully.

,,As long as it won't be tonight," Regina interjected. ,,I haven't slept in two days."

 _Neither have I_. _And not only because I was worried about Henry_.

,,Tomorrow then," Snow said firmly. ,,Tomorrow there will be a celebration at Granny's."

The dwarfs seemed chuffed, and so everybody else. But Emma could have lived without a party. And she could also have lived without Killian's arm around her like a chain, but she didn't dare thinking that thought.

The small welcome home committee parted ways, Regina left with Henry and Ella and Lucy. Probably to help them get installed at a room in Granny's, and Killian gave Emma's shoulder a little squeeze. ,,Come on, luv. Let's get you home in bed."

,,Aye," Emma joked half-heartedly. Maybe some sleep and a nice meal would get her in the right party-mode.

But that definitely wasn't the case. Emma still felt completely miserable the next evening as she prepared herself for the party. She constantly found herself thinking back to that damned kiss she and Regina had shared in Seattle. And then she felt guilty. Not for having kissed her or for thinking about it, oh no. She felt guilty for _not_ feeling guilty. God, this was _so_ confusing. Constantly thinking about that kiss and…

,,You ready, luv?"

Emma turned around when her musings were interrupted by her husband standing behind her with a hand on her shoulder.

,,Almost," Emma said and put a finishing touch on her light lipstick.

Killian rubbed her shoulder lightly and dropped a light kiss on the nape of her neck. ,,You look beautiful tonight, my love."

,,And you clean up nicely," Emma tried her best to quip as she smoothed her green halter-neck dress. And he _did_ look nice in his white button up shirt and his dark jeans. Emma turned around and scrunched up her golden curls one last time. Killian instantly put his hands on her hips to draw her closer. Emma willingly stepped into his arms and let him embrace her tightly.

 _It's not your fault that your hands don't feel right anymore_. And they really didn't. His broad palm skimming up and down her bare arm suddenly felt completely wrong, and Emma felt herself yearning after softer, more delicate hands and olive skin.

She gritted her teeth and bit the inside of her cheek not to reveal anything, but when Killian suddenly dipped down to kiss her, she took a step back.

,,Woah!"

,,What is it?" he asked and frowned.

,,Lipstick," Emma said quickly, grappling for an excuse. ,,No smudging up my masterwork, mate!"

,,Oh," he chuckled warmly. ,,Sorry, luv."

,,Let's go," Emma insisted and grabbed her coat from the closet.

,,Aye."

There was already a group of people at Granny's Diner when Emma and Killian arrived. All of the dwarves, David and Snow who quickly hugged Emma. Henry, Ella and Lucy happily chatting on with Granny and Leroy. Belle, Rumple with their son. And finally, Zelena and Regina and Robyn. Emma watched as Robyn demanded her aunt's attention, and Regina flashed the young girl a rare smile.

 _God, she's beautiful when she's smiling_.

And how beautiful Regina looked tonight in a deep purple, strapless dress… and her hair in soft curls around her face.

Emma's heart sank. This really wasn't fair. Of all the hairstyles Regina could have chosen, she went for curly.

Snow stayed close to Emma and then she waved Regina over to them. The brunette slowly approached them, and Emma could spot her fake smile from about a million miles away.

But Snow didn't notice anything, and babbled on with Regina. The older brunette listened and answered politely every time Snow took a break. At one point Snow handed Regina a drink, and when Regina stretched her arm out to accept it, Emma spotted the familiar feather tattoo on her wrist. Her breath hitched in her throat as she in a flashback saw herself kiss that very same tattoo.

,,I didn't know you had a tattoo," David commented.

,,The new curse brought certain changes with it," Regina answered quietly. ,,I've tried to remove several times, but it seems to be permanent."

,,It suits you," Snow said and flashed Regina a beaming smile.

,,Thank you dear. Now if you would excuse me," the brunette said quietly and retreated to a quiet corner in the Diner.

,,What on earth is the matter with _her_?" Snow questioned. ,,She seems completely beside herself."

,,Maybe she's just a bit tired," Killian suggested. ,,I mean, being cursed and all was pretty tough on all of us."

Emma felt like screaming, or laughing hysterically. But again, nobody noticed and the party continued. People were happy to have Henry, Lucy and Ella home where they belonged, and relieved that the villainous lady Tremaine were safely behind bars.

Emma tried her best to enjoy the party, to chat with her parents and husband like she normally did, but it didn't take her long to notice that Henry kept glancing between her and Regina, looking worried each time he did it. And now, only now, Emma remembered that Henry actually had _seen_ her and "Roni" in Seattle. Seen them laugh and joke around. And kiss each other. Good god. No wonder he choked on his beer during his stay in Roni's Bar. That poor kid. Like he hadn't already seen enough

,,I'm gonna get some air," the blonde muttered after a while. Granny's was crowded and it was pretty warm in here.

Emma turned her back on the partying lot and went outside. At first she assumed she was alone, but Regina was there too, leaning nonchalantly against the building with a cigarette in her hand and her eyes half closed.

,,Why aren't you partying with your sister?" Emma asked quietly.

,,No smoking indoors," Regina muttered and waved the cigarette. Emma tilted her head when the brunette finally opened her eyes. They were slightly unfocused. Was Regina drunk?

,,Are you drunk?" Emma blurted out, and Regina raised an eyebrow as she quietly corrected: ,,Tipsy."

,,How are you feeling?" Emma asked a bit out of nowhere. If sober Regina refused to talk to her, maybe tipsy Regina was a bit more willing to talk.

,,How are _you_ feeling?" Regina shot back and took a drag on the cigarette.

Emma sighed deeply and closed her own eyes. ,,Why do you keep avoiding my questions? Is it really that impossible to get a straight answer from you?!"

For a moment, all she heard was Regina's breathing and her compulsive babbing on the cigarette, but then the older brunette laughed coldly, bitterly and without any amusement. ,,A straight answer, miss Swan? I'm afraid I can't give you a _straight_ answer."

 _Woah. Okay. That's probably the most she had spoken to me since the curse_. Emma blinked. As much as she wanted to talk to Regina, it still was a little sad to hear the "tipsy" woman joke around with her own sexuality like that.

,,Maybe you can give _me_ a "straight" answer for a change?" Regina said and took another drag on the cigarette.

,,Uh.. sure?"

Regina looked around as to check that nobody was nearby, and then she lowered her voice to a whisper when she asked: ,,Why did you kiss me in Seattle?"

Emma felt how her palms got sweaty. She hadn't expected that. ,,I… I don't know." _Oh, god, you are_ _such_ _a coward, Emma Swan. Don't act as if you don't know why you did it_.

But it was too late to change her answer now. Regina simply nodded and took another drag on her cigarette. ,,Alright then."

,,Regina, I…"

But she ran out of words when Regina turned around slightly and gave the blonde a look that could mean just about anything. ,,Your husband is a very lucky man, miss Swan."

 _Wait what? What?!_

Regina craned her neck and looked back into the diner where Killian was laughing with David. ,,I hope he appreciates you." She sighed. ,,Do you mind telling my sister that I got a headache and went home instead? I really don't feel like partying." And with that she scraped the cigarette on her heel, dumped the remains on the ground and left.

And maybe Emma had had a bit too much alcohol as well, because she thought: _what if I followed her_? _if I just followed her all the way to the mansion_? _What would happen then_? _Would she be angry_? _Happy? Maybe I_ _should_ _follow her. Yeah. I definitely should. To hell with the rest of the world_.

,,Mom? Can we talk for a second?"

Emma's momentarily madness about following Regina was crushed by her son's voice, and the blonde's head whipped up: ,,Sure, kid. What's up?"

Henry gently grabbed her elbow and her guided away from Granny's and the party and into a nearby alley.

,,Interesting place to chat," Emma half-chuckled. ,,What's on your mind, kid? Everything alright with Lucy and Ella?"

,,Yeah. They are fine. They've handled everything amazing."

,,What is it then?"

Henry looked like he found it mighty hard to get the right words out, and he fiddled with his tie and rubbed the back of his neck. Emma waited patiently. Whatever Henry had to say was apparently very serious.

Henry sucked in a breath, and then finally: ,,What _happened_ with you and mom in Seattle?"

 _God, I don't know what to tell you, kid. What_ _didn't_ _happen with me and your mother in Seattle_? _This is so screwed up_.

Emma felt how her brave façade was cracking. A huge lump formed in her throat and she felt something wet and treacherous slide down her cheek.

Henry immediately wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. And Emma allowed herself to break down for a second and weep silently.

,,I'm sorry," Henry murmured.

,,Why are _you_ sorry?" Emma said and flashed him a little, watery smile. ,,It's not _your_ fault."

,,But it kind of is," Henry said quietly. ,,I'm the reason you guys ended up in Hyperion Heights in the first place."

,,Henry, _no_." Emma said firmly. ,,You are _not_ responsible for this. It was Regina and I who messed up, and we just have to live with that." She almost believed the words coming out of her mouth.

,,But you are not happy," Henry said and squeezed her hand. ,,I can tell you're not."

Emma didn't know how to respond to that. Of course he was absolutely right. Of course she wasn't happy. How could she be happy when she kept having flashbacks of another life, mixed the memory of kissing Regina in Seattle?

,,Mom?"

,,Yes?" Emma replied; feeling how her own head started to pound slightly. But whether it was from the alcohol, the loud music or the subject was unclear.

,,Are you in love with her?" Henry asked plainly, and completely without judgment.

 _Possibly. Maybe. Most likely. But what does it matter_? _She's the process of brewing a forgetting potion_.

,,I…"

,,Are you?"

Emma sucked in a breath. _Regina just want to forget the whole thing ever happened, remember that_. ,,Kid, do me a favor and tell Killian that I went home. I'm.. I'm very tired and I need to rest, okay?"

,,Okay." Henry said and dropped a light kiss on Emma's forehead. ,,I love you mom."

,,I love you too, Henry."

But Emma didn't go home. Not straight away at least. Instead she went into the cemetery, passed the many tombstones and continued into Regina's vault.

Emma looked around. She had always found this place to be slightly creepy. And especially now, in the dead of night. The only sound was the potion bubbling quietly in the kettle.

Emma went over to the kettle and bent down. The potion almost burned her finger when she touched it. Maybe half-finished memory potion was supposed to be that warm. The blonde sneered. She didn't _want_ Regina to finish the potion, and she didn't _want_ Regina to drink it and forget everything. It wasn't fair. The brunette couldn't just erase those precious memories just like that. Like it was no big deal. Like it had never happened. It _had_ happened. No matter how they turned and twisted it, it had. And nothing, not even a stupid forgetting potion could change that. No, Emma definitely had enough of this crazy masquerade. This silly hide and seek game. Her intoxicated brain seemed to know exactly what to do, and without thinking twice about it, she grabbed the heavy kettle, turned it upside down and poured the potion all over the floor, soaking several books lying around.

Emma immediately felt relived, seeing the potion drip all over the floor. There. Now she would be able to sleep peacefully tonight.

 **To Be Continued..**


	29. Chapter 29

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 29:**

Emma definitely didn't feel good when she woke up the following morning. She had been drinking too much, that was certain. Her head was hurting and her vision was slightly blurry. Getting out of bed seemed like an impossible task, and judging by the slightly whiny "not yet, luv" and the possessive grip on her arm, Killian seemed to be thinking the same. Emma turned her head slightly to look at him. He was still half asleep, and the faint smell of rum lingered in the bedroom. Seemed like he had had quite the party after she left last night.

Emma decided to let him sober up on his own. She stumbled out of bed and went into the shower. The hot water did little to relieve her headache, but it did help a little on her fuzzy mind and blurry vision. She felt like a zombie as she redressed in a pair of jeans and a cream-colored sweater. Her hair got a quick brushing and in the lack of better suggestions, Emma just let it hang loose down her back.

The blonde wobbled downstairs. She totally "cheated" and used magic to make herself a cup of coffee. The first sip woke her up a little more, and she gradually remembered last night. Her chat with Regina. Her chat with Henry. Wanting to follow Regina, being a coward and then finally destroying the memory potion in Regina's vault.

Shit. She had actually done that. Barged into Regina's vault and destroyed the potion. Fuck. What the hell had she been _thinking_?! Why the hell was she always so reckless? Always acting right there and then. Never thinking twice before she did things.

Emma shook her head (which hurt) and downed the rest of her coffee in one go. She felt tempted to slap herself, but that would probably cause her head to hurt even more, so instead she settled for burying her face in her hands. God, she was so stupid these days. Such an utter _idiot_. Her thoughts were all over the place, and definitely not with her loving husband upstairs.

A low buzzing from her phone brought her back to reality. She found her phone in her pocket and read the newly arrived text message:

" _My office. Now_."

Regina.

Emma could vividly imagine what the mayor wanted to talk to her about. _Shit_. But there wasn't much she could do about it. The blonde swallowed thickly and left the coffee cup standing as she left her house and walked to the Town Hall.

The blonde took a deep, not very calming breath and knocked on the door to the Mayors office.

,,Come in," she heard from behind the door, and Emma stepped inside.

Regina was sitting behind her desk, looking through some papers. Her hair wasn't curly anymore, and her mayoral outfit was worlds away from Roni's "jeans and t-shirt" attires.

The brunette looked up when Emma stepped in. ,,Close the door."

Emma did as instructed.

,,Have a seat," Regina offered and pointed to the chair.

,,I would prefer to stand," Emma piped up.

,,Fine. Suit yourself." Regina herself stood up and retrieved a pack of cigarettes from one of her drawers. She promptly lit one and took a long drag on it.

Was she smoking indoors now? Either it was a very hard habit to give up, or…

,,You wanted to see me?" Emma asked and shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

,,Yes."

,,What's up?" _Shit. Wrong approach, Emma. Most definitely wrong approach_.

Regina took another drag on the cigarette. ,,It's actually an odd story. You see, when I came into my vault early this morning, the place seemed to be in quite a state…"

Emma's throat felt completely dry, but she didn't dare to cough or clear her throat.

,,..Wet, ruined books scattered on the floor," Regina continued. ,,And _somebody_ seems to have knocked down one of my kettles, ruining the memory potion in the process. Quite the coincidence, don't you think?"

 _Why are you doing this_? _You already know it was me who did it_.

,,What do you want me to say?" Emma whispered.

,, _Why_ you did it would be a good start," Regina hissed. ,, _Why_ would you want me to keep a bunch of fake memories?! It's bad enough that _you_ don't want to drink the potion."

,,I'm in love with you," Emma blurted out. She hadn't exactly planned on "confessing" like that, but she had no other defense. No other way to explain her actions.

,, _Ex_ cuse me?!" Regina stared at her like Emma suddenly had grown two heads.

,,You heard me," Emma said and was surprised over how strong and confident her voice was. ,,I'm in love with you."

Regina abandoned the cigarette and stared at Emma for several minutes. The brunette seemed to have lost all ability to speak, and her dark eyes were twice the size they normally were.

,,Say something," Emma pleaded. This silence from Regina was painful.

,,I cannot believe.." Regina said and abandoned the cigarette. ,,How _utterly_ selfish you are!"

,,W-what?"

Regina pushed the chair back and rose to her full height. And that was really something when she was wearing her killer heels, and for a second Emma actually thought that the brunette would either hurl a fireball at her. Or slap her. Or both. ,,You already have _everything_ ," Regina hissed. ,,Parents who adore you, a devoted husband who worship the ground you walk on, how _dare_ you ask for more?!"

,,And if I'm not happy in my marriage?" Emma retorted.

,,That is hardly _my_ fault!" Regina snapped. ,,If you have problems in your marriage, then talk to your husband about it, not me!"

,,I never said it was your fault, I was just saying.."

,,No!" the brunette hissed, and Emma noted that she had raised her voice and was close to shouting. ,,I have worked very hard to become the person I am today, and I will _not_ be known as a home wrecker!"

Emma chose a new approach: ,,Why won't you acknowledge what happened between us in Seattle?!"

,,Oh, I'm sorry, do you want me to share it as a fun story over dinner with your parents?!" Regina sneered.

,,Of course not, don't be ridi…"

,,Because what "happened between us" wasn't _real_!" Regina spat, and Emma took a step back as if the brunette actually _had_ slapped her. ,,We were _cursed_! Everything that happened was false! None of it meant _anything_."

,,How dare you!" Emma found herself to be yelling. ,,Don't you _dare_ say it didn't mean anything!"

,, _It didn't_! It was all just a stupid mistake. Now get the hell out of my office!"

,,No," Emma said. ,,We are not done here."

,,Oh, trust me, _miss Swan_ , I am _so_ done with you! Get. Out."

,,No."

It seemed like she had managed to push Regina too far. The brunette completely flew off the handle and screamed in Emma's face: ,, _Get out of here right now_! I don't want to see you, I don't want to hear from you, I just want to be left alone, do you hear me?!"

Emma's own temper suddenly reached breaking point: ,,Why the fuck are you determined to forget it?! Are you really that embarrassed about ending up with me?!"

,,Get out! Get out before I do something I might regret!"

,,Fine, go the hell ahead! It wouldn't be the first time you hurt me!"

Emma never found out what Regina's answer to that would have been, because in that moment, the office door was slammed open and Snow and David rushed into the office.

,,What the hell is going on?" David asked, frowning deeply. ,,Why are you shouting at each other? We could hear you all the way out on the street."

,,Emma?" Snow said, looking from Regina to Emma. ,,What's going on? What is this about?"

Regina laughed coldly, and a bit hysterical. ,,Nothing to worry about. Just a little, private discussion between Sheriff Swan and I."

 _Sheriff Swan.. are we really back to that again_?

,,It sounded more like you were trying to kill each other," David pointed out.

,,Yes, well, _Sheriff Swan_ and I seem to be disagreeing on something," Regina snapped. ,,And since it's impossible for us to reach an understanding, I will be going now. If you will excuse me, but I have things to attend to."

,,Regina.." Emma tried one last time.

,,The office is closed. Make an appointment with my secretary," Regina hissed, and without any further ado, she waved her hand and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

Snow and David gaped, and then Snow turned to her daughter:

,,What _the hell_ was that about?!"

 _I just confessed my feelings to her, and she basically just stomped on them and threw them away like garbage_..

,,Nothing. Just a minor disagreement," Emma muttered, refusing to meet her mother's worried gaze.

,,Emma," the pixie haired woman said softly. ,,Talk to us. What's going on?"

,,Nothing," Emma insisted. ,,It was nothing, really. I'm alright."

,,Emma.." David began, but Emma cut him off:

,,I'm _fine_. Look, I have a lot of work to catch up on, but I'll talk to you later, alright?"

And with that, the blonde quickly left the Mayor's office, leaving her confused parents standing and gaping.

So that was the way things were. Regina wanted nothing to do with her. What happened in Seattle didn't matter one bit to her. All the memories, all the things they had said to each other, every caress, every last kiss, none of it matter to the brunette. _A mistake_ , she had called it. _None of it mattered_.

Emma felt the familiar, huge lump forming in her throat, and she bit the inside of her cheek hard not to break down. Well, at least now she knew how Regina felt, she wanted nothing to do with Emma. Maybe knowing Regina's feelings, would help her to forget this whole thing.

But deep down, Emma knew that she couldn't. It was too late. She was already in too deep. Regina and her bartender-alter ego was scored onto Emma's heart for good. She had wormed her way into a heart which Emma thought only belonged to one man.

The blonde felt completely wiped out when she returned home. Emma had never been the crying type, but right now she wouldn't have minded curling up in some abandoned corner and have a good cry about... well, _everything_.

 _I wish none of it ever had happened. I wish I never walked into that bar and met Roni in the first place._ Emma almost believed her own thoughts as she went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on to her face.

When she emerged from the bathroom, she heard Killian rummage around in the kitchen. _Killian_. How the hell was she supposed to face him right now? No. He couldn't see her like this.

,,Emma? Is that you?"

,,Yeah. It's me."

,,Where have you been?" Killian asked from the kitchen.

,,I just went for a walk," Emma lied and straightened her back as she strolled into the kitchen.

,,Oh. Alright," Killian replied, and it struck Emma that his voice sounded weird.

,,Is something wrong?" she asked lightly and touched his shoulder.

,,I don't know, Swan. _Is_ there?" he asked quietly.

,,What do you mean?" Emma frowned.

Killian reached within his pocket and presented Emma with the two pictures of herself and "Roni". ,,These fell out of your pocket."

 **To Be Continued….?**


	30. Chapter 30

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 30:**

Emma felt how the blood left her face, and for a second she was afraid she was going to keel over or something like that.

,,I can explain," she said quietly.

,,Do I finally get the truth about Seattle?" Killian answered just as hushed.

And Emma felt like an absolute monster. There was no anger in Killian's eyes. Just sadness. Heart wrenching, stomach churning sadness.

,,What happened in Seattle, Emma?" Killian asked. ,,I need to know everything."

And Emma sat down next to him. She sucked in a breath, and then she began her story. She told Killian how a lonely bails bond person had walked into a bar and met a curly haired, dark eyed bartender. She left out a few details here and there as she told him how she had fallen head over heels in love with "Roni", and the life they had been building together.

Killian listened quietly, and his face twisted like each word was a stab to his heart. It probably was.

And Emma's eyes were glistening with tears when she finally reached the part where they had returned home and had remembered everything again.

,,I'm so sorry, Killian. I never meant to hurt you."

,,I know, Swan." He said quietly.

Emma watched as he pushed the chair back and stood up, hands buried deep in his pockets he asked: ,,And now that Roni is gone..?"

,,Yes?"

,,Where does that leave your feelings for Regina?"

,,I.." Emma couldn't answer that question. _She doesn't want me_. _I mean nothing to her_. _Nothing_.

,,Are you in love with her, Emma? Because if you are..." he didn't finish the sentence; he didn't have to. Emma knew the rest of it. _Then there's no hope left for us_.

,,I'm sorry," Emma repeated, and a new wave of tears came streaming down her face.

,,So am I." Killian said, looking somewhere above her head.

Emma didn't know what to say. She wanted to reach out and touch him, hug him tightly and assure him that they would get through this. She wanted to tell him that everything was going to be alright. But she couldn't. She couldn't lie to him anymore. She had lied to him far too much already.

Killian sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. ,,I never thought that a curse would be strong enough to tear us apart, but apparently I was wrong."

,,I'm sorry." Emma didn't know what else to say. "I'm sorry" didn't even begin to cover her feelings. But nevertheless, she _was_ sorry. So sorry for everything. She should have come clean to him right away, done this the right way instead of sneaking around and keeping things from him. He didn't deserve that. He didn't deserve any of this.

And to top the torture, Killian didn't look angry. He just looked heartbroken and empty.

,,We can get through this," Emma suddenly heard herself say. Was she really still lying to him, to _herself_? Was she really willing to inflict more pain on him and herself because she was too much a coward to let go of him?

,,I don't think we can, Swan." Killian said quietly. ,,You are already distancing yourself from me. It's been going on since you returned home from Seattle."

And Emma didn't argue with that. Of course he was right.

,,What sort of man would I be if I didn't let you go, Emma?" Killian asked and took her hand. ,,I can't cling to a woman whose heart doesn't belong to me anymore. It wouldn't be right."

 _A woman whose heart doesn't belong to me anymore_. Once again he spoke the truth. Emma squeezed his hand as a new wave of tears streamed down her face. ,,You should hate me," she whispered.

,,Never. I could never hate you, Emma." He chuckled quietly. ,,But I can't keep you here either if you wish for something else." He let go of her hand and disappeared into the hall.

,,W-where are you going?"

,,To the Jolly Rogers. I need to clear my mind." And with that he left her house.

 _He's not coming back_. _You have broken his heart. And you have managed to screw things up with Regina. Again._

Emma sank down on a chair. She felt how her world slowly came crumbling down around her, like a tornado destroying lives and leaving a million casualties behind. What would be left once the dust had settled?

 _Nothing. Absolutely nothing_.

She really had nothing left now. She had successfully managed to break her loving husbands heart, and Regina wanted nothing to do with her.

Some Savior she was. Instead of saving people, she destroyed them.

Emma finally broke down and sobbed with her face buried in her hands…

It took several hours before Emma calmed down enough to pour herself a drink. Everything that had happened, meeting "Roni" in Seattle and falling in love with her, kissing Regina in Seattle (and realizing that she was very much in love with her, curse or no curse), reuniting with Killian, keeping up the façade, all the lying and sneaking around, came crashing down upon her again and again, and every time "Roni's" lazy smile was replaced by Regina's face, twisted with anger, Emma felt herself getting closer and closer to a hysterical fit.

She had really ruined everything. Not only her own life, but also Killian's and probably Regina's too. She had most likely lost the brunette forever. The friendship they had built over the years, was over for good. Emma doubted that Regina would ever want to be in the same room as her again. What were they even gonna say to each other now? What _could_ they say? Nothing would ever be the same again, thanks to Emma and her "confession".

What had she even been thinking? What had she expected? That Regina for some stupid reason would feel the same? That there actually _was_ something between them?

" _I will not be a home wrecker_ ". Regina's words echoed in her head. Emma didn't need to think twice to know that the brunette had been referring to the drama between herself, Robin and the fake Marian years back. How Robin had been torn between both women, and Regina had ended up suffering dearly because of it.

 _Way to bring back the bad memories, Emma._

The blonde sighed deeply as she took a deep swig on her drink. How did she let it get to this? How did things get so messed up? What had become of the strong, courageous Emma Swan? How had she been reduced to _this_? A lying, cheating coward?

Emma took another swig of her drink, but she found no answer at the bottom of the glass. And she had a distinct feeling that she never would. There weren't any answers to find. She already knew them. Everything that had happened was because of _her_ and her alone. How dared she kiss Regina and lead her on while she was married to Killian? How dared she put Regina in this position? Her son's mother. The woman who she once thought of as her best friend.

Emma poured herself another drink, and the first swig gave her some sort of clarity. _She_ had made this fucking mess, and she would just have to live with it somehow. There was no way of undoing this. She couldn't do anything.

Except getting drunk. That she could. Emma took another swig of the drink. Maybe it wasn't the most sensible thing to do, but it seemed like the only thing she _could_ do.

And so she did. She poured herself drink after drink and downed them just as fast. But for some strange reason, the alcohol didn't work as intended. It just brought with it a million flashbacks of Roni mixed with Regina's anger earlier today.

Emma ended up curled together in a ball on the couch with the empty glass beside her. It seemed like getting drunk wasn't the answer anyway. It didn't work that was certain. It only amplified the pain she was feeling.

She vaguely picked up on the sound of her ringing phone, but she didn't have the strength to stand up and answer it. She didn't have the strength for _anything_. All she could do was lie here and wait for some sort of absolution that never would come.

At some point, exhaustion finally took her, swept her away in a swirl of blurred dreams, and when she woke up again, it was dark outside, and the streetlights had been switched on long ago.

Emma pushed herself into a sitting position and stretched her aching limbs. Her mind was slightly fuzzy from the amount of alcohol she had been drinking, and her body complained about sleeping on the couch, but the hysterical fit seemed gone for now.

Emma blinked, and when she did, the image of her mother sitting in the chair next to the couch became clearer.

,,Mom?"

,,What's going on, Emma?" Snow asked and moved to sit next to Emma. ,,I have called you all day, but you never answered. Why are you sleeping down here? Where is Killian?"

,,He's not here," Emma answered truthfully.

,,Is he working double shifts again?"

,,No he isn't. He's at the Jolly Roger. And he won't be coming back."

,,Why? What _happened_?" Snow asked and stared at her daughter.

,,I messed up," Emma said plainly. And boy, wasn't that the truth.

,,How?"

Emma rubbed her eyes and sighed deeply. She might as well just say it. Why keep her mother in the dark? What good would it do? Hadn't secrets already cost her enough?

,,I met someone in Seattle."

,,Met someone?" Snow repeated. ,,As in a.. man?"

,,No. A woman."

,,Alright," Snow said slowly. ,,You met a woman and.. what?"

,,I met a woman and fell in love with her."

,,I see," Snow said and nodded a few times; there was absolutely no judgement in her green eyes. ,,And can I ask you who that woman was, what was her name?"

Emma took a deep breath, but for once she managed to get the right words out: ,,Regina…."

 _There. I said it…_

 **To Be Continued?**


	31. Chapter 31

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 31:**

Emma didn't know how she had expected her mother to react. Well, she _had_ counted on her mother to be shocked, and for a second, it sure looked like Snow was. Her green eyes went wide and her mouth gaped.

 _Oh god, she's gonna judge me_.

But then the pixie haired woman recovered and sat down next to Emma once more. ,,Tell me what happened."

And so Emma did. She sucked in a breath and started the story about how she had met "Roni" and how the chemistry instantly had clicked between them.

Snow listened patiently without interrupting, and for that Emma was grateful. It felt good to finally confide in her mother. Even if it was one hell of a story she was telling.

,,And did you fall in love with her?" Snow asked quietly, as soon as Emma finished the story.

,,Yeah." Emma confessed. She had no idea what her mother was thinking right now. ,,Are you judging me?"

,,Honey, no," Snow said quickly. ,,We don't decide who we fall in love with, you know that."

,,Right. I just wish the timing had been better," Emma muttered bitterly.

,,Have you talked to Regina about your feelings?" Snow asked and looked at her daughter.

,,I tried, but…"

,,But what?"

,,She got angry and wouldn't hear any of it."

,,So that's what your "discussion" was about," Snow nodded.

,,I don't know what to do," Emma admitted. ,,I've screwed everything up."

,,You don't know that for sure," Snow said firmly. ,,Maybe she just need to process it. Give her time."

,,You didn't see how angry she was at me," Emma mumbled.

,,Actually I did," Snow pointed out. ,,And she looked more in the defense than angry to _me_."

Emma blinked. It sounded an awful lot like Snow was encouraging her not to lose hope when it came to Regina.

,,You don't seem very surprised by this," the blonde said slowly.

Snow shrugged and then smiled a bit. ,,I had a hunch."

,,A hunch?!"

,,Mhmm. You were acting weird and Regina had a hard time looking me or David in the eye. So yeah, I figured _something_ had been going on. I was just waiting for you to open up."

For the first time in what felt like a million years, Emma chuckled. Blindsided by her own mother.

Snow gently wrapped an arm around her. ,,If she's one bit smart, she'll come around, Emma. Give her time."

,,Yeah." Emma said, and then she sighed. ,,I feel like a villain for doing this to Killian."

Snow hugged her tightly. ,,You told him the truth, Emma. You could have tried to lie your way out of it, but you didn't. You did the brave thing."

Emma chuckled dryly. ,,How did you manage to make me look brave when I'm a huge coward?"

,,You are not a coward, Emma. You are human," Snow said plainly. ,,And now you are coming home with me and having some early breakfast."

,,I am?"

,,Yes. You are."

But despite what Snow thought, Regina didn't "come around" in any way. The brunette seemed determined to remove herself completely from Emma's life, and went from being a prominent character in Storybrooke to more or less disappearing of the map. They heard from Zelena that Regina had completely buried herself in work, and didn't come home until very late at night. She had also begun smoking a whole lot more. And Zelena was worried, but had no idea what nagged her sister.

Emma didn't feel very good either. She had told Henry that she and Killian weren't together anymore, and her son had simply hugged her and not asked any questions. And for that Emma was grateful. She hadn't gone into details about her argument with Regina either. He didn't need to know that. He had his wife and daughter to look after, he didn't need to be involved in the mess between his mothers.

But news travelled fast in Storybrooke, and there were whispers that Emma and Regina once again were on "bad terms". It was only a matter of time before that happened again, evil tongues said, but Emma refused to listen to the small-town gossip. Instead she focused on her work at the sheriff's station. There was plenty of things to do now that they were one sheriff short. She hadn't heard from Killian since the day she had told him the truth about Seattle, but according to Henry, he spent most of his time on his ship. Most likely with a bottle of rum.

The situation seemed completely hopeless. If only Regina would _talk_ to her. Give Emma a chance to apologize. Well, she couldn't apologize for feeling the way she felt towards Regina, but she _could_ apologize for kissing Regina in Seattle. And she would. If only Regina would talk to her.

But as the weeks passed, it became obvious to Emma, just _how_ determine Regina was to cut herself from Emma's life. The mansion seemed abandoned when the blonde passed it. There was never any light switched on, and the curtains were always closed in daytime.

Emma thought that this was a permanent situation, but then one morning, when she was having an early breakfast with Snow, the door to the diner suddenly opened and Regina stepped inside. The brunette walked directly up to the counter, and didn't notice Emma, but Emma very much noticed her.

Regina looked- well, not horrible, Regina never looked horrible, but she definitely didn't look well. Her cheeks looked almost hollow, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Emma followed the brunette with her eyes and frowned. Had Regina lost weight? The way her clothes hung on her body, certainly made it look like it.

,,Are you gonna say anything to her?" Snow asked quietly.

,,I don't know what I even _can_ say."

Snow watched as Regina ordered a "breakfast to go". ,,She doesn't look too good, does she?"

,,No." Emma said plainly. Clearly, she wasn't the only one who was affected by the situation.

Granny finished Regina's order and handed her a bag and a cup of coffee. ,,Thank you," the brunette said, and even her voice sounded flat. Like she had lost her will to well, _anything_. She looked... broken.

 _Shit_. _Shit_. _Shit_. _Shit_. _I did this to her. I actually manage to break her. Oh god, what have I done to her_?!

Emma desperately wanted to call out to the other woman. To beg her to stay and just talk to her.

 _Just look at me, please._

But Regina didn't look at anything or anyone, her dark eyes just stared straight ahead as she left the diner.

,,She can't go on like this. And neither can you." Snow said gently but determined. ,,You have to talk to her, Emma."

And Emma nodded. She knew they couldn't keep playing hide and seek forever, but just what the hell was she supposed to say to Regina? What _could_ she even say?

 **To Be Continued…?**


	32. Chapter 32

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 32:**

What were the chances that Regina wanted to talk to her after their last encounter? Sure, Emma had seen her angry a bunch of times, but never quite like that. The way she had looked at Emma, kept haunting the blonde's most unpleasant dreams.

Snow kept encouraging Emma, but when the blonde finally plucked up the courage to go over to the mansion, she had been met by a closed door and no answer coming from inside. Once again, the mansion had been completely quiet and eerily abandoned. Emma had then gone against every rule Regina ever had made, and gone into her vault to search for her. There had been no sign of her either, but one thing Emma found very interesting was, that there was no kettle boiling anywhere. No sign of Regina brewing a new portion of forgetting potion.

That had given Emma hope. Could it be, could it actually be that Regina had abandoned that plan? And if she had, _why_? The last time they spoke, Regina hadn't seemed very keen on holding on to any kind of memories, so why this change of heart?

And Emma had stumbled upon something else in Regina's vault that had been rather interesting. Tucked away in one of the many drawers, she had found her swan pendant.

Emma blinked. She remembered how she had taken the necklace off and stuffed it away in "Roni's" bedside drawer on their last night together, before they returned home to Storybrooke and everything went to hell. But she had no idea Regina had it. The brunette must have taken it when they were searching for Henry in Seattle.

Emma found that to be very interesting. If Regina wanted nothing to do with her, then why keep the necklace? Why keep it here, hidden away from the rest of the world, why not just give it back to Emma?

And _why_ did Regina keep her distance? Why this mad game of hide and seek?

Emma still had no answers, and it frustrated her beyond beliefs.

The blonde sighed as she left the vault. This was hopeless. And a bit laughable. She was an expert in tracking people down, and yet here she was, completely clueless when it came to tracking Regina down. What was she supposed to do, force her way into the mansion?

In one last, desperate attempt, Emma swallowed her pride and went over to Zelena's farmhouse. If anybody knew about Regina's whereabouts, it had to be her sister.

Emma knocked and was immediately greeted with a: ,,Come in!"

The blonde stepped inside the farmhouse and found Zelena in the middle of doing the dishes.

,,Hey, Emma. Come in," the redhead and waved Emma into the kitchen.

,,I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

,,No, not at all. I was about to take a break anyway," Zelena assured and abandoned the dirty dishes. ,,Something to drink?"

,,Yeah, thanks."

Zelena made a pot of coffee and let Emma into the living room while they waited for the coffee. ,,So, what brings you to my doorstep, miss Swan?"

 _She sounds_ _so_ _much like Regina_.

,,It _is_ miss Swan again, isn't it?" Zelena inquired. ,,I heard the pirate sailed off."

,,Yeah. He did."

,,I'm sorry about that."

,,Mmm."

Zelena waited patiently, and Emma knew that this was the part where she asked the redhead whether she had seen Regina lately, but the words stuck in the blonde's throat.

While Emma tried to get the right words out, Zelena got up from the couch and fetched two cups of coffee.

,,Thanks," Emma said and took a sip of the hot beverage.

Zelena also took a sip and then said completely nonchalantly: ,,I take it this is about my sister, am I correct?"

Emma nearly choked on her coffee, and spluttered as she stuttered out a: ,,W-what?"

Zelena shrugged. ,,In case you haven't noticed, Regina and I no longer keep things from each other."

,,So you know about…?"

,,About Seattle? Yes. Regina told me." Zelena nodded and frowned. ,,Bloody mess."

,,You don't say," Emma replied and laughed a little, bitter laugh. ,,I thought I already had experienced every kind of mess life could throw at me, but this is definitely worse. Any chance you've spoken to Regina lately?"

,,She checks in now and then, yes," Zelena nodded. ,,But I don't know where she is, I'm sorry."

,,What? She's not in the mansion?" Emma frowned. If she wasn't in the mansion or the vault, where the hell was she then?

,,No." Zelena said. ,,She mentioned something about "needing a break from everything", so I assume she has some sort of other hiding place."

That was the first time Emma heard of such a thing. She had no idea that Regina had another place to hide beside the mansion, her office and the vault. In hindsight, there was so much she still didn't know about Regina. As much as she claimed to, she still didn't know everything there was to know about Regina.

,,I'm sorry," Zelena said softly.

,,If only she would talk to me," Emma muttered, fully aware how pathetic she sounded. She couldn't blame Regina for staying far away from her, given the clumsy way Emma confessed her feelings while she was still married to Killian. That would be enough to spook anyone.

,,You gave her the shock of a lifetime," Zelena said and patted Emma's hand. ,,It takes a lot to rattle my sister, but what you told her really rocked her world."

,,She told you about that too, did she?"

,,Yes."

Emma knew that it was a desperate thing to do, but she couldn't help but ask Zelena: ,,And did she say anything.. else about it?"

,,Just that she didn't know what to do, and then she rambled on about your parents."

,,My _parents_?! Why?"

,,She kept going on and on about how hard she had worked to become friends with them, and that this would ruin everything, and they would begin to hate her again."

,,Is she _afraid_ of my parents?" Emma asked, her eyebrows rose and a very small part of her found it a bit funny.

,,Not afraid, but she respects them very much, and she's afraid to be shunned again, and afraid to be blamed for ruining your marriage."

,,So she knows that Killian is gone?"

,,She does."

,,If my _parents_ is the only problem, the why the hell isn't she coming back so we could talk about it?" Emma said frustrated.

,,If I know my sister correct, then she's out there somewhere, blaming herself for everything."

,,That's ridiculous."

,,I know."

Three more weeks passed. Three more weeks where Regina remained completely absent. Three more weeks where the only person she seemed to talk to was Henry. And he had no idea where she was either. Regina wouldn't tell him, and any locator spell Emma had tried, had been unsuccessful.

Emma's despair had reached a point where it was beginning to slip into quiet acceptance. She was slowly beginning to accept that Regina didn't want to be found by anyone.

But still, it was hard that this apparently was the end of any kind of relationship between them. Emma was still haunted by all the precious memories from Seattle. Every kiss, every touch between them kept visiting her dreams again and again. The only change was, that it wasn't Roni in her dreams anymore. It was Regina. Regina smiling to her from behind the counter, Regina and Emma walking around in the park with Lady, Regina and Emma joking around in "Roni's" apartment.

It was hard to imagine that this was the end of everything. When she didn't dream, Emma thought about every last missed opportunity, and that kiss they had shared in Seattle. That _had_ meant something. Emma was sure of it. And she was also ninety nine percent sure that Regina had kissed back. Hadn't she? Yes. Emma still remembered how gently Regina had touched her face when they kissed each other. Emma didn't know what to think of that. _Why_ had Regina returned the kiss if she wanted nothing to do with her?

Still, Emma had no answers.

As more time passed, Emma tried her best to mind her work at the station. She had finally hired a new deputy sheriff. There had been several people applying for the job, but it turned out that Lily had been the best person for the job, and Emma enjoyed spending time with her old friend. She hadn't really had a friend in Storybrooke for a long time. Not since Elsa was here, and that was many, many years ago.

It turned out that she still had a lot in common with Lily. Not as much as she used to, as Lily cheekily commented on her first day, but still, their friendship remained intact despite everything that had happened between them.

And another thing she noticed, was how _quiet_ Storybrooke was. No looming villains, no imminent destructions or unexpected trips to the Underworld. Just peace and quiet.

After a particular long week at work, Emma decided that she needed a little break, and she invited her parents and brother over for dinner. Snow and David was delighted about the invitation, and the too-big-for-one-person house was soon filled with laughter. Emma enjoyed having her parents with her for tonight, even though David kept shooting her concerned glances now and then.

Emma had told him that it was over between her and Killian, but she hadn't revealed the reason yet. Not that she feared her father's reaction, but David's jaw would most likely drop when she told him the truth about Seattle.

Yeah, that could wait. She wasn't quite ready for that yet.

Emma was in the middle of playing an epic battle of monopoly with Neal and David when there was a knock on the door.

Emma's head snapped up. How odd. It was fairly late at night.

Snow glanced at her watch. ,,Are you expecting anybody?"

,,Nope. Do you mind see who it is while I kick my brother's ass?" Emma smirked and Neal glared at her.

Snow went into the hall and opened the door while Emma concentrated on beating both her father and her brother in monopoly.

,,Ha! _I_ win!" she said triumphantly.

,,Only because you _cheat_ ," Neal deadpanned.

,,Watch it," Emma teased, and then she turned her attention to the muffled voices coming from the hall. Who could the late night visitor be?

Emma soon found out, and her jaw dropped when Regina hesitantly stepped into the living room. Followed by a Snow who looked very, very excited.

Regina's dark eyes darted from David to Neal to Snow and then to the board game and the plates on the table. ,,I am intruding. I can come back another day," the brunette mumbled almost awkwardly and her eyes flickered towards the door.

 _No_! _don't you_ _dare_ _leave again_!

,,We were just going," Snow interrupted before Emma could get the chance to protest.

,,We were?" David asked confused.

,,Yes. Come on, Neal, honey. Find your coat."

The teenager looked like he wanted to argue, but something in Snow's eyes stopped him, and he muttered complains as he found his coat.

,,Shouldn't we at least stay and help cleaning up after dinner?" David argued.

,,Don't worry about that, dad. I have magic, remember?" Emma quickly barked out.

Regina didn't say anything. She was still wearing her coat, and Emma took that as a very bad sign. The brunette definitely looked like she regretted coming here.

 _Don't go, please don't go_.

Emma kept her gaze fixated on the brunette, but Regina didn't seem to notice it. _Her_ gaze was fixated to the floor. Emma had never seen Regina look so uncomfortable before.

Finally, a confused David was being ushered out of the house by Snow along with his sullen teenage son, and Emma heard her father say: ,,What the hell was that about?" as soon as they were outside the house.

Emma looked pending at Regina, and the brunette finally spoke up: ,,You didn't slam the door in my face."

,,No?" Emma said and frowned. ,,Should I be doing that?"

,,That would be a very reasonable thing to do, considering how I treated you the last time we… _spoke_."

,,More like shouted." _Damn it. I probably shouldn't have said that_.

But to her surprise, Regina shot her a tiny, wobbly smile. ,,I lost my temper. I'm really sorry about that."

 _Wait.. is she… apologizing to me?!_

,,It's okay," Emma said, rushing to assure the brunette that she had forgiven her.

,,No it's not," Regina shook her head. ,,I owe you.. well, a hell of a lot more than something as simple as an _apology_."

,,Okay…" Emma said hesitantly. Now she was a bit unsure about the reason for Regina's visit.

,,Do you.. Do you have time to talk?" Regina asked, finally taking her coat off.

 _God, how skinny she looks_.

,,Yeah, sure." Emma said. ,,Is there anything in particular you want to talk about?" she had about a million subjects _she_ wanted to talk about, but this was Regina's call.

,,Yes, there is. I would like to talk about what happened in Seattle."

 **To Be Continued…?**


	33. Chapter 33

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 33:**

 _Woah. Alright. didn't expect that. What changed? After weeks of silence, why does she suddenly want to talk about it now? Is she not angry anymore? Why the hell can't I read this woman?!_

,,Emma?" Regina interrupted her inner monologue. ,,Would rather have me leave instead? Because I fully understand. We don't have to talk about anything if you don't want to."

,,What? No, no, no, no!" Emma yapped off. ,,Don't go. Please stay. I want you to stay."

That seemed to relax Regina a little and the brunette hung her coat on the coat rack in the hall. Then she returned to the living room. She was still impeccably dressed in pencil skirt, burgundy blouse and blazer, but she looked like a completely different woman to Emma.

,,Do you want something to drink? Tea, coffee?" Emma offered.

,,You don't happen to have something stronger, do you?" Regina said and brushed a hand over her already dust-free skirt.

Emma walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge. There was still some of Killian's old rum, and Emma reminded herself to throw it away. God knows she hated that stuff.

,,I only have root beer, is that alright with you?"

,,Yes, that's perfectly fine with me," was Regina's answer and Emma returned to the living room with two root beers. She handed Regina one of them, and the brunette skillfully opened it and took a swig directly from the bottle.

 _Roni, is that you_?

And Regina seemed to notice this uncharacteristic behavior too, for the brunette smiled a little and shook her head. ,,It's hard to give up old habits."

,,Yeah."

Emma waited until Regina had swallowed the next mouthful of beer, and then she asked: ,,Are you alright?"

,,I will be," Regina assured, and then: ,,Are _you_?"

 _Better now that you're here_. ,,Getting there."

,,Good. That's good."

There was another pause where both women downed mouthfuls of beer, and then Regina said: ,,Your mother knows, doesn't she? She gave me an interesting look when she opened the door for me."

,,Yeah. She knows," Emma admitted, and dearly hoped that Regina wouldn't be angry about that.

But Regina just chuckled dryly. ,,And she didn't murder me on the spot. Good for her."

,,She's not _angry_ with you, Regina."

,,Are _you_?" Regina asked and kept her gaze locked on the beer bottle in front of her.

,,No," Emma said truthfully. And she meant it.

Regina took another swig of the beer. ,,So, about Seattle.."

,,Yeah?"

Regina shook her head and chuckled dryly again. ,,I honestly don't know where to begin.. I mean that was..."

,,Crazy? Weird? Completely mad?" Emma suggested, her throat suddenly dry.

,,I would have said _unexpected_ ," Regina quietly corrected.

 _Is that good or bad_?

,,Yeah. Definitely unexpected," Emma croaked out.

Regina once again brushed a hand over her pencil skirt, and fiddled with the hem. It was strange seeing Regina nervous. Normally she was so cocky and radiated confidence in any situation. And she was clearly unable to say anything at the moment, so Emma said what she thought was the right thing to say:

,,I'm sorry about kissing you in Seattle."

Regina raised an eyebrow. ,,Are you really?"

,,No." Emma admitted with a little chuckle.

,,I thought so." Regina said with a little, half-smile.

,,Are you not angry with me?" Emma questioned.

,,No, Emma. I am not angry with you. I never really was."

,,Then you are one hell of an actress," Emma muttered. ,,I mean, the last time we spoke.."

,,Yes, I know. I shouldn't have yelled at you. That was completely wrong of me."

,,It's alright."

,,No. It really not," Regina sighed. ,,I know it's in your very nature to be forgiving, but I was completely out of line."

,,Regina, _it's okay_. Seriously, I forgive you," Emma insisted.

,,Always a Charming."

,,Nope. You are mistaking me for my father."

Regina chuckled, but then grew serious once again: ,,I'm sorry about.. Killian."

Emma shrugged. ,,It is what it is. I just couldn't go on with everything that had happened between you and me. I wasn't in it anymore."

,,I ruined your marriage."

,,No you didn't. I could have chosen to ignore everything and go on about my business, but I didn't, so there is that." Emma said quickly. It's not Killian she wanted to talk about.

Regina once again shifted on the couch and crossed her legs restlessly. She twisted her fingers as she finally looked at Emma. ,,Nothing will be the same again, will it?"

,,No," Emma said plainly. ,,I think Seattle changed everything."

,,Yeah. It did. It was silly of me not to acknowledge it."

,,You were shocked. So was I. Completely freaked out."

,, _Freaked out_?" Regina echoed and wrinkled her nose. ,,You need to work on your language."

" _Duh?" "as I said, we really need to work on your language."_

" _Complain about my language one more time and I'm gonna stop what I'm doing."_

" _My lips are sealed."_

The memory made Emma's neck and cheeks go flush, and Regina wasn't completely unaffected either. The brunette blushed crimson and sought solace in the beer bottle.

Emma couldn't think of anything to say at the moment, and Regina seemed unwilling to come to her aid. The brunette looked like she was trying to down the rest of her beer in one go.

,,Where have you been all these weeks?" Emma finally asked.

,,Here and there," Regina shrugged. ,,My vault or my house. But mostly in the forest."

,,The forest?"

,,I have a cottage out there."

,,You do? I've never seen one," Emma mused.

,,That's because it's sealed off. Hidden for everyone except me."

,,And what have you been _doing_ out there?" _Clearly not eaten enough. You look so skinny_.

,,Thinking," Regina shrugged. ,,And drinking," she admitted with a small smile. ,,Roni's habits are hard to lay off."

,,Thinking _and_ drinking, huh? That doesn't sound very healthy."

,,I may have to join some sort of program to get over my addiction," Regina said dryly, and Emma chuckled.

,,Regina Mills, member of Alcoholic Anonymous. I can't really picture it."

,,No, me neither."

Emma chuckled again and moved a bit closer to the brunette. Close enough to reach out and take Regina's hand had she wanted to.

When Regina spoke again, she sounded very sincere and her voice trembled a bit: ,,I really am so sorry, Emma. For everything."

Emma sucked in a breath and asked the question she had been holding in quite a while now: ,,Does that apology cover what happened in Seattle too? Because _I_ am not sorry about that."

,,Neither am I," Regina said, and her voice was a bit more steady when she continued: ,,Smoking and drinking and curse aside, the life I had in Seattle was.. easier. Calmer. There wasn't a new disaster waiting around the corner every day, and that was incredibly refreshing."

Emma blinked. Was Regina saying that she preferred the life she had in Seattle over this one?

,,However strange it may sound," Regina continued and wrapped her fingers around the beer bottle. ,,I enjoyed just being Roni the bartender whose only concern was running out of cigarettes. Her life was so simple."

,,I know what you mean," Emma nodded. ,,Despite it being a cursed life, it was a _good_ life."

,,It was."

Silence again. Emma looked into the flickering flames in the fireplace, and she only now noticed that she had moved closer to Regina once more. And Regina hadn't made any attempts at moving away.

,,You haven't started brewing a new round of forgetting potion," Emma stated.

,,No I haven't."

,,Are you gonna start brewing a new potion?"

,,No."

Emma abandoned all common sense and reached for Regina's hand, took it between her own and squeezed it lightly.

Regina didn't flinch or try to move her hand in any way, instead she turned her head slightly to look at the blonde.

,,I'm in love with you," Emma whispered, and she heard Regina inhale sharply. The brunette nodded, a slight movement in her chin, but she didn't say anything. Just sat there and allowed Emma to hold her hand.

And Emma knew that she should be asking Regina to say it back, ask her to voice her feelings, but right now that didn't matter. The only that mattered was that Regina was _here_ and not running away again.

And Regina didn't say anything for several minutes. She just sat there in silence, her forehead wrinkled in concentration, clearly wrapped up in her own thoughts. Emma had honestly no idea what the other woman, her former enemy was thinking right now. Maybe she was weighing pros and cons in her head or something like that, or maybe she was considering running away again. Maybe it would only be a matter of seconds before she pulled her hand out of Emma's grasp and stormed out of the house.

No. That would be to horrible. Emma had to stop the other woman's mind from spinning in all directions.

,,Say something," the blonde said and repeated her own words.

At first it seemed like Regina hadn't heard her, but then, so quietly that Emma almost didn't hear it: ,,Kiss me."

 _I can't think of a single thing I would rather do_. Still holding on to Regina's hand, Emma leaned forward and captured Regina's lips in a kiss.

It happened immediately. The blood seemed to roll quicker in Emma's veins, and her heart, which had been stuck in this dull rhythm, sped up and beat in a newfound, steady pace.

Regina gently wriggled her hand out of Emma's grasp and reached up to blonde's cheek instead. The movement was slow, almost hesitantly, like the brunette wasn't sure how to do this.

But Emma had no second thoughts about this. She combed her fingers through Regina's slightly curly hair. As the warmth spread in her body, Emma noticed how her old Paradise came back to her. The feeling of being home, being safe returned. _Back in Paradise at last_.

Emma would gladly have spent the rest of the night kissing Regina, but soon, much too soon, the brunette gently pushed her face away and chuckled quietly.

,,Now we're in trouble." Regina pointed out.

,,Are we?" Emma said.

,,Yes, I think we are, miss Swan."

,,I don't think so. But even if we are, I would prefer to stay in "trouble"," Emma teased lightly.

Regina chuckled lightly and then glanced at her watch. ,,It's getting late. I should go."

,,No!" Emma half-shouted, making Regina jump a little in surprise. ,,Don't go," the blonde said and tried to silence her irrational panic.

,,It's getting late," Regina repeated. ,,And if _I'm_ tired, then I can only imagine how exhausted you must be." she stood from the couch and began to walk into the hall.

,,Stay. Here. With me," Emma rambled. ,,Stay the night with me."

Regina raised an eyebrow and her lips twitched like she was about to smile. She didn't however, instead she settled for a half-scowl and a: ,,Sheriff Swan, that sounds like an inappropriate suggestion."

Oh. Emma hadn't thought of that. But now that Regina mentioned it, it _did_ sound like Emma was suggesting to….

,,Not like _that_ ," Emma insisted and cursed herself for blushing like an idiot.

,,Like _what_ then?" Regina gently mocked her.

,,Just sleep with me."

Regina spluttered, actually spluttered. ,,I thought you said it wasn't an inappropriate suggestion?"

 _Oh god, why the hell am I messing up my words right now_?!

,,Not like that, damn it!" Emma said frustrated with herself. ,,Just lie next to me and.. sleep."

,,Oh." Regina's eyebrows returned to their usual place. ,,I suppose I could do that."

,,You're staying?" Emma asked, just in case. Just to confirm it.

,,I'm staying." Regina nodded. ,,If that's really what you want."

,,It is." Emma tilted her head for a moment, and then: ,,May I kiss you again?"

,,You may."

Emma wasted no time in jumping up from the couch and kiss Regina once more. After the past couple of crazy weeks, it felt completely amazing to kiss the brunette again. _I'm in love with Regina Mills, how crazy is that_?!

Regina sniggered. ,,I think that's quite enough kissing for one night, miss Swan. I am exhausted."

,,So am I."

,,Let's go to bed then," Regina said calmly, and Emma smirked.

,,That actually sounded like an "inappropriate" suggestion."

,,That wasn't my intention," Regina assured as they walked upstairs and into Emma's bedroom.

,,I've never seen your bedroom," Regina stated and waved her hand, changing into her grey silk pajama.

,,I haven't seen yours."

,,Hmm. I'm sure we can rectify that at some point," Regina almost mused and climbed into bed.

Using magic to change her clothes wasn't something Emma normally did, but tonight she made an exception. Once her clothes had been "magicked" into the closet, she climbed into bed next to Regina.

,,Can I?..." Regina asked and reached for Emma.

,,Obviously. _Duh_ ," Emma teased and scooted closer and into the brunette's embrace. _Paradise. Absolute_ _heaven_ _, right here on earth. Apples and cinnamon. Oh, how I've missed this_.

,,Do you think we can actually do this, Emma?" Regina asked after a while where she silently had combed her fingers through Emma's unruly locks.

,,What, sleep a full night?"

,,No, silly. _This_. You and me."

Emma stretched her neck to look into Regina's dark eyes. ,,Yeah. I really think we can."

(( **So, what do you guys say? The end or more to come?))**


	34. Chapter 34

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 34:**

Despite being the Savior and being trained to respond to an emergency immediately, Emma's brain was still a bit slow in the morning, and that's why she was confused at first when she woke up the following morning.

 _Am I in Seattle_? _Or possibly in dream land_?

But then she remembered, that no, she wasn't in Seattle anymore, nor was she in dream land. She was in Storybrooke, in her own bed, and Regina was actually there. Half sitting with her knees brought up to her chin. Emma wondered how long she had been awake.

,,You stayed," Emma said, sleepy but delighted.

,,Exactly as I said I would. I honor my agreements, miss Swan."

,,I think you've said that to me before," Emma said and smiled goofily at the memory.

,,Mmm."

,,What time is it?" Emma asked and rolled on to her side.

,,Late. Ten thirty."

,,I was supposed to be at work two hours ago," Emma grinned.

,,So was I. We slept for a long time."

,,We needed the sleep," Emma shrugged.

,,I guess we did. This is the first time I've actually slept a full night since we returned home from Seattle," Regina mused and ran a finger through her hair. ,,But since you're awake now, I should probably get going." The brunette uncurled her body and put one foot on the floor.

,,No. Stay," Emma insisted and wrapped her fingers around Regina's wrist, bringing it up to her lips and kissed it gently.

Regina sighed and shook her head. ,,I'm going to hell for this." Her tone was light, almost a bit joking, but Emma still frowned.

,,No, you're _not_ ," the blonde insisted.

,,Your father will probably kill me for swanning off with his daughter."

,, _Swanning_?"

,,Pun intended."

Emma giggled. ,,Are you actually attempting to joke, Madam Mayor?"

,,Don't get used to it," Regina warned. ,,Are you going to let go of me?"

,,Nope," Emma grinned. ,,Not unless you come back to bed."

Regina sighed heavily. ,,Scoot."

Emma immediately did and Regina slid into bed next to her. The blonde wasted no time in snuggling closer and interlacing their fingers. ,,This is nice."

,,It is," Regina agreed.

Emma closed her eyes for a moment and relished in the feeling of having her Paradise so close again. She could probably sleep for longer if she wanted to, but she didn't want to waste time with sleeping. Not now, when Regina was here, so instead she asked: ,,What are you thinking about?"

,,I am thinking that this is going to cause one hell of an uproar in Storybrooke."

,,So?" Emma shrugged. ,,People can think what they like. I don't give a damn."

Regina sighed. ,,I probably shouldn't either, but…"

,,But _what_?" Emma asked and stretched her neck to look at the brunette like she had done the night before.

Regina shook her head. ,,Nothing. I'm just overthinking."

,,Are you afraid?" Emma asked quietly.

Regina sighed again and squeezed Emma's hand gently. ,,Maybe I am a little. I mean, it's you and me."

,,Yes it is," Emma said plainly, and then, slightly more cheeky: ,,We are gonna make one hell of a power couple in Storybrooke."

That seemed to pull Regina out of whatever melancholic state she was in, and the brunette chuckled warmly. ,,That's one way of putting it. But I must warn you, I have no idea how a "real" relationship works. Impossible connections are more my thing."

,,I can teach you," Emma laughed. ,,It's not that hard."

,,Perhaps I can "borrow" a bit of Roni's experience. She was rather good at having a relationship."

,,She was," Emma agreed. ,,A natural. You'll be too."

,,I hope so," Regina half chuckled and pulled Emma a little firmer against her chest.

,,Teaching Regina Mills how to _date_. Who would have thought?" Emma giggled.

,,Save me, Savior," Regina joked.

,,I may have to work on my language, but you need to work on your jokes, Madam Mayor."

,,I trust you to teach me that as well."

,,Anything _else_ I have to teach you?" Emma asked cheekily and flashed Regina a toothy grin.

That was earned with a scowl and a: ,,Careful, miss Swan," from Regina.

Emma chuckled and wrapped her fingers around the collar of Regina's pajamas. ,,Kiss me?"

,, _That_ you don't have to teach me," Regina quipped.

,,No, you're fairly skilled at that if my memory serves me ri.." the last of the remark died on Emma's lips when Regina successfully shut her up with a kiss.

 _Any chance we can do this for the rest of the day_? _To hell with work_. Emma was willing to drop whatever plans she had made for _this_. Her paradise. Her little piece of heaven. She wrapped her arms around Regina and abandoned all thoughts about acting coy as she flipped them so Regina was on top of her. Everything about this felt completely natural, and Emma spent a moment wondering why the hell they didn't do this a few years back. It would have been so much easier than constantly trying to kill each other.

And Regina seemed quite contend with the current situation. She twisted her fingers into Emma's golden locks, but Emma swiftly opened the first button in her pajamas, the brunette mock scowled and stopped Emma's hand.

,,I appreciate your eagerness, miss Swan. But technically, you're still a married woman."

 _Oh. Right. I didn't think of that_.

,,I'm sorry," Emma said sheepishly. ,,I got carried away."

,,Oh did ya now?" Regina teased as she gracefully climbed off the blonde.

Emma's jaw dropped. No matter what, she would always have a certain weakness for Regina snubbing off her words and speaking with that _accent_.

The brunette laughed at the expression on Emma's face, and then she freed herself from Emma's grasp. ,,Now I really should get going. Before I dig myself in deeper."

 _No, don't go_. Emma wanted to protest and argue, and she tried to think of a really good reason why Regina should stay.

,,I could make you breakfast?" she suggested.

Regina raised an eyebrow. ,,Flaccid bacon and mushy pancakes?"

,,Uh, yeah. Something like that."

,,No offense, dear. But I think Granny can do it better."

,,Then let's have breakfast at Granny's together at least."

Regina was amused now. ,,You are not giving up, are you?"

,,No," Emma grinned.

,,What am I gonna do with you?" Regina muttered and finally sat up in the bed. The brunette frowned a little when she reached for clothes that weren't there. ,,Oh. Right. I magicked it away. I completely forgot that."

,,You can borrow some of my clothes?" Emma suggested.

,,You would like that, wouldn't you?" Regina half chuckled.

,,Yeah. Yeah I would."

,,It's a cold day in hell when I wear your clothes," Regina assured and waved her hand, redressing in another pencil skirt, cream colored blouse and high heels.

,,That is just _cheating_ ," Emma objected as Regina waved her hand again and made her hair smooth and silky and her makeup impeccable.

,,No, dear. It's time saving." Regina corrected and stood from the bed. ,,Aren't you gonna get up?"

,,I suppose so," Emma grumbled. ,,What would be the point in lying here when you are gone?"

Regina rolled her eyes. ,,Ever the dramatic."

And Emma made sure to grumble and complain as she replaced her pajama with a pair of jeans and a tanktop. She noticed how Regina kept her dark eyes fixated on the floor while the blonde redressed.

Emma chuckled. ,,Regina, seriously. You can look at me. You've already seen me naked a million times."

,,Possibly," Regina snipped. ,,But I would very much prefer to do this the right way."

Emma rolled her eyes. Of course Regina chose the chivalrous way. It was in moments like this that Emma missed Roni. She wouldn't have chosen the chivalrous route.

But Regina seemed steadfast in her decision and waited patiently until Emma had (unsuccessfully) tried to smoothen her golden hair out.

,,Can we at least have some coffee here?" Emma pleaded and batted her green eyes at Regina.

,,Alright," Regina surrendered and shook her head in defeat.

Emma grinned triumphantly and grabbed Regina's hand. The brunette flinched only for a second before she relaxed once more, and Emma guessed that she would have to get used to handholding as well.

But to Emma, holding Regina's hand felt completely natural too. It wasn't really a big deal. She had held Roni's hand a million times.

,,Come on," Emma chuckled. It was strange and a little amusing seeing Regina on edge like this.

Regina nodded and followed Emma downstairs.

Where they nearly ran into Snow.

Emma gaped for a second. _Oh right. She has her own key and we agreed to have breakfast together at Granny's. Like, an hour ago. Oops._

Emma saw how her mother's eyes wandered from Regina and Emma coming from the bedroom, and to Emma's tousled hair. _Oh god, she thinks we slept together… well, we_ _did_ _, but not like that_!

Regina looked a hundredth percent like she wanted the earth to swallow her hole. ,,I should go."

 _Great, she's spooked. Again_.

,,No," Snow said before Emma got the chance to open her mouth. ,,You should come and have breakfast with us at Granny's."

Regina fiddled with the hem of her blazer and mumbled something about not wanting to intrude.

,,It looks like I'm the one who's intruding," Snow said and shrugged.

,,Mom!" Emma barked. _Don't you dare say anything that could upset her_.

But Regina just flashed the pixie haired woman a tiny, thin smile.

,,So what do you say, ladies? Breakfast?" Snow said briskly.

Emma looked at Regina who shrugged in a "why not" manner.

,,Right. I'll just... get my jacket," Emma muttered halfheartedly. This wasn't exactly the situation she had pictured to be in. Breakfast with her mother and Regina. Not like she hasn't had done that before, but sure as hell not like _this._ Her previous breakfasts with Regina hadn't involved sleeping in the same bed and kissing. Emma grumbled to herself as she found one of her numerous leather jacket and shrugged it on along with a beanie to cover the worst of her bed hair. Then she hurried downstairs again, almost fearing that Regina had taken off.

But the brunette was still standing in the exact same spot where Emma had "left" her, and it looked like she was talking _very_ politely with Snow.

,,Great. Let's get going," Snow smiled, and Emma and Regina exchanged a look.

If she found it awkward or strange, Snow didn't show it one bit as they walked towards Granny's. She chatted briskly and Regina did her best to answer.

At one point, Emma let her mother lead the way, and slowed down to walk beside Regina. ,,You okay?"

,,Ask me once we've finished breakfast. It's like everything is happening at once." The brunette muttered and rubbed the back of her neck.

Emma nodded. ,,Look, I can't blame you if you don't want to do this right now."

,,Emma," Regina rolled her eyes, and the blonde's heart swelled a little when she used her first name. ,,I promised to have breakfast with you, didn't I? Stop acting like I'm going to bolt."

Emma gave her hand a little squeeze.

They soon reached Granny's Diner, and Emma swallowed something when she found out that her father was there too. David was the only one who still didn't know what had happened in Seattle, and what was happening between her and Regina right now.

,,There you are," David said when they approached.

,,Yes, here we are," Snow said and sat down next to her husband. ,,I invited Regina to join us."

,,Oh. Well, good morning, Regina."

,,Good morning," Regina answered and smiled at him.

 _Well this isn't weird or awkward at all. Thanks a bunch, mom_.

But the breakfast actually proceeded nicely. Regina gradually relaxed and joined in the conversation with Snow and David. Charming chatted on with her, completely oblivious, but Emma more than once caught her mother looking from her to Regina and smiling a little.

David was fully engaged in a conversation with Regina, about Henry, Lucy and lady Tremaine's fate. Regina calmly suggested the underground prison, and Emma spluttered.

Once Regina had finished the last bit of omelet, she pushed the plate away and said: ,,Thank you for the breakfast, but I better get going now."

The brunette once again thanked Snow and David and nodded to Emma, and then she left the diner.

Emma wasted no time in excusing herself and following Regina outside. The brunette had already lit a cigarette by the time Emma reached her.

,,I'll see you later?" Emma asked.

Regina smiled a little with the cigarette between her lips. ,,I think you already have my number, so you could call me."

,,I think I will be doing that," Emma grinned. ,,Good job on surviving breakfast, by the way."

,,Thank you," Regina said slyly. ,,Your mother is practically hitting the ceiling to show just how much she accepts me. I'm impressed."

Emma grinned again. ,,I'm sorry if she overwhelmed you."

,,It's fine. I actually liked it," Regina mused and took a drag on her cigarette. ,,But you should probably tell your poor father though."

,,Tell him what, exactly?" Emma asked, she didn't know exactly how to label this yet.

,,That we're giving this a shot," Regina shrugged.

,,This?"

,,You and me," Regina said and rolled her dark eyes.

,,So… Can I tell him that you're my _girlfriend_?" Emma teased.

But Regina just shrugged. ,,Yes, I suppose you can. If that's the word you want to use."

 _Woah_. _Alright then_.

 **To Be Continued…**


	35. Chapter 35

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 35:**

Emma watched as Regina walked away, and then she returned to Granny's Diner.

Regina was right. She should probably tell her father how things were between them. It wasn't fair to keep him in the dark like this.

So Emma calmly asked him to walk with her to the Sheriff's Station, and David quickly accepted that suggestion. Snow flashed Emma a little smile as father and daughter left the diner.

Once they reached the Sheriff's Station and David was about to leave, Emma said: ,,Hey dad, can we talk for a moment?"

,,Sure," David said. ,,Everything okay?"

,,Uh.." Emma wasn't sure how to do this. Really, it was a bit funny. A full-grown woman about to "come out" to her father. And telling him exactly who she had fallen in love with. Even in Emma's head it sounded like some sort of mad story. And it almost was.

,,What is it, Emma?" David asked, and now he sounded a bit concerned.

,,I, uh.. haven't been completely honest about the reason why me and Hook ended things," Emma said. Yeah. For once she chose the right approach.

David's expression immediately grew dark. ,,What did he do, Emma?"

,,Actually, it was me who did something, dad."

,,You? What did you do?"

 _Messed things up completely. But I'm not unhappy about it. Not anymore._

,,I fell in love with someone else."

Admittedly, David looked a bit shocked, and Emma couldn't blame him one bit. But the prince quickly recovered and asked: ,,Alright. Who?"

 _Here it comes_.

Emma sucked in a breath. ,,It's…Uhh.. It's… Regina."

Afterwards, Emma would often think back and be grateful that her father wasn't eating or drinking anything in that moment, because his daughter's little confession might just have made him spit the lot out.

David's reaction was quite similar to Snow's. _It's a known fact that spouses often "adopts" each other's expressions and facial features_.

The prince stared at his daughter, his mouth opened with a _pop_ and then he said: ,,Regina as in… Regina?"

,,Do you know any other Regina's?" Emma quipped half-heartedly.

,,Right. Okay," the prince said, still looking completely shell shocked.

,,I know it's strange, dad. Believe me, I was as surprised myself, but..."

,,No, no, it's fine," David insisted. ,,I'm just… surprised."

 _I don't think "surprised" begins to cover it, dad_.

Emma decided to give her father a moment and sat down in front of the computer, starting today's work. She was already halfway through the first report when David spoke up again: ,,How did.. how did this happen?"

Emma abandoned the computer and hopped up on the desk next to her father. And then she told him about how a cursed Emma Swan had met an equally cursed Regina, now Roni, a bartender in Hyperion Heights.

,,I fell in love with her right off the beat," Emma said truthfully, and David didn't look judgmental in anyway. He just nodded a bit. ,,And those feelings remained when you came back to Storybrooke?"

,,Definitely."

,,And Regina feels the same?"

,,Yes, I think she does," Emma nodded. ,,And I know I should have told you way sooner, but.."

David gently put a hand over Emma's. ,,Maybe I'll need a moment to get used to it, but your happiness is what matters, Emma. If she makes you happy, then _I'm_ happy."

Emma felt how her shoulders uncurled and returned to their normal position. ,,Thanks dad."

David gave her a quick hug. ,,Don't ever be afraid to confide in me, Emma. Both me and your mother support you. No matter what and who you chose."

 _I am this close to burst into tears_.

As there was no reason to "turn on the waterworks" Emma quickly freed herself from her father's embrace. ,,I'm glad I told you."

,,Me, too." David smiled. ,,I'll let you work now. Lily will probably be here in a second anyway."

,,See you later."

,,See you later, Emma."

But David only made it to the door before he turned around and looked at his daughter. ,,Does that mean Regina is my daughter-in-law now?"

Emma choked on the remains of yesterday's bear claw.

Now difficult hours followed. Emma already wanted to see Regina again. And kiss her again. Yeah. She most definitely wanted to kiss her again. She hadn't quite had her fill yet.

Last night had been…. Well, probably one of the best in Emma's life. The fact that Regina had been there when she woke up, had meant everything. Emma was well aware that they would have to start completely over with this dating thing, and she understood why Regina was a bit hesitant. This was a completely new situation for everybody. They'd known each other for what, seven years almost? And going from friends to "something more" was a lot to take in for all of them. She couldn't blame Regina for wanting to take things slow.

It occurred to Emma that she was thinking about the brunette again instead of working. Not the worst way to spend working hours, but still, it would only mean that the papers would pile up on her desk, and that would prevent her from doing anything else besides working.

So Emma tried to pull herself together and actually work, but it didn't take long before a new distraction arrived in the shape of her son.

,,Hey mom."

,,Hi, kid. Everything okay?"

,,Yeah, everything is fine," Henry said.

,,What does Lucy and Ella think of Storybrooke so far?"

,,They like it here," Henry smiled. ,,I think we're gonna be very happy."

Emma squeezed his hand. ,,It's good to have you home again. We've missed you."

,,I missed you too."

Emma smiled and Henry sat down on her working desk. ,,Are you busy right now?

,,Yeah I am," Emma grinned. ,,But I wouldn't mind a little break."

Henry chuckled and then he began telling his mother everything about Lucy and Ella and how glad he was to be back in Storybrooke.

,,Sounds like you found your story after all, kid."

,,Yeah, I did." Henry smiled, but then his expression changed to a more concerned one: ,,What about you, mom? What's _your_ story gonna be like?"

,,Well…" Emma smiled broadly. ,,That remains to be seen."

,,And what's that supposed to mean? Henry half-chuckled. ,,It's not like you to be cryptic."

Emma grinned again and gave Henry's hand another squeeze. ,,All in good time, kid."

Henry read her like an open book. ,,You've worked things out with mom, didn't you?"

,,Maybe."

,, _Come_ on, mom," Henry rolled his eyes. ,,You can tell me."

,,There isn't much to tell," Emma said calmly. ,,We're taking things slowly. One day at the time."

,,That's _great_ ," Henry grinned and squeezed her hand.

,,Yeah it is," Emma said and had to stop herself from smiling like a lovesick teenager.

The door to the sheriff's station opened, and the first thing Emma saw, was the red cocker spaniel coming through the door, barking and wagging her tail like crazy at the sight of Emma.

,,Hey, Lady," Henry cooed and patted the dog. ,,Hi. Who's a good girl? Hmm?"

Emma was much more focused on Lady's owner who had just stepped inside. At first, the brunette had been smiling, but when she spotted Henry, her expression had become a bit more guarded.

 _Taking things slow indeed_.

But again, Emma couldn't blame her. This was such an unfamiliar situation.

,,Hi mom," Henry grinned.

,,Hi sweetheart," Regina smiled and patted the young man's shoulder. ,,Tell me, are you preventing the sheriff from working?"

,,Maybe," Henry sniggered.

Regina rolled her eyes at his cheekiness, and then she reached inside her purse and dumped what looked like a report on Emma's desk.

Emma squinted her eyes at the sheet of paper.

,,The sheriff's budget," Regina explained.

,,Oh. Right. Thanks. Do we finally get those new computers I've been asking for?"

,,Perhaps." Regina smiled, a genuine smile. A smile that send about a million butterflies straight to Emma's stomach.

Henry smirked mischievously and glanced from Emma to Regina. ,,I better get going. See you later, moms."

,,See you later, kid," Emma said, and Regina flashed their son a smile.

Henry went towards the door, but stopped halfway there. ,,Oh, by the way. Ella and I are hosting a family dinner next week."

,,I'm looking forward to that, sweetheart," Regina smiled.

The young man left, and Regina glanced at her watch. ,,I should probably get back to the office.

 _Leaving already_? _Shoot_.

,,See you later then."

Regina clapped her hands to get Lady's attention, and the dog followed her owner to the door. But with one hand on the doorknob, the brunette stopped and turned around.

,,Are you.. free tomorrow night?"

 _Are you saying what I think you're saying_?

,,Yeah, I am," Emma said. Probably a bit too eagerly, but what the hell.

,,Good." Regina slowly walked back to the desk. ,,Because I was wondering if you.. if you would like to have dinner with me?"

,,Are you asking me on a _date_?" Emma beamed. And now she probably looked like a lovesick teenager.

,,I am," Regina said and returned the smile. ,,Will you have dinner with me, miss Swan?"

,,Yes! _Duh_." Emma teased, and earned an eyeroll from Regina.

,,My place? Seven o'clock?" the brunette said, and sounded very much like she was giving Emma every opportunity to back out if she wanted to.

But Emma had absolutely no intention of backing out. Not now, not _ever_. ,,It's a _date_ , Madam Mayor."

That elicited another beautiful smile from the brunette.

 _God, she's so damn beautiful_. _Where the fuck have I_ _been_ _these past seven years_?

Regina looked around in the empty station, almost a bit sheepishly like she was afraid to be seen.

,,Can I kiss you?"

,,Is that even a question?" Emma replied, and now it was her who rolled her eyes. Regina smiled again and leaned forward (Emma was flooded with a million "Roni memories") and rested her palms on the desk as she lightly brushed her lips against Emma's.

 _Okay, I'm definitely addicted to this_.

Regina took Emma's hand for a moment, and soon- way too soon, she broke the kiss again and brushed a lock of golden hair behind Emma's hair. ,,I'm looking forward to tomorrow night."

 _Yeah, so am I_ , Emma thought to herself as she watched the brunette and her dog leave the station.

 _In fact, I can hardly wait_.

 **To Be Continued?**


	36. Chapter 36

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 36:**

A date.

An _actual_ date with Regina.

After everything that had happened, it seemed like a dream. A dream come true.

And all the sudden, Emma felt slightly nervous. This wasn't just a walk in the park with Lady or a few shots in the bar. This was an actual date with Regina. Not Roni.

Regina was so very different from Roni, and Emma had no idea what to expect. Or how to act. This was Regina, her friend. Her son's mother. She would be damned if she somehow managed to screw this up.

Emma took a deep, calming breath as she put a finishing touch on her makeup. Not that she was wearing much. Just a bit of light lipstick and a touch of mascara. Nothing major.

She had decided to skip the "formal" attires too and gone for a pair of jeans, one of her many tank tops and her red leather jacket. She could have chosen a dress or something like that, but she preferred this. To be herself. The Emma, Regina knew, and not some dolled up version.

The blonde glanced at her watch. She had twenty minutes until she was supposed to be at Regina's. She would rather be there a little early, so she quickly ran a comb through her blonde locks. This was definitely the best she could do for tonight, and Emma actually felt confident with the way she looked.

Deciding that this was enough, Emma walked out of her bedroom, down the stairs and out of her house.

It was another beautiful day in Storybrooke, the sun was shining brightly from a blue sky, and Emma smiled to herself as she walked down the street. Life wasn't half-bad these days.

The blonde walked down Main Street and had just turned a corner, heading toward Mifflin Street when she spotted someone out of the corner of her eye. She quickly turned around, but there wasn't anybody to see now. Hmm. Strange. She could have _sworn_ she saw… Oh, well. Never mind.

Emma finally reached the mansion and knocked on the front door. Hopefully, the brunette wouldn't mind that she was a little early.

Ten seconds after the first knock, Regina opened the door, and Emma tried her best not to stare like an idiot. The brunette was wearing a very _tight_ red dress. Nothing indecent, but still very, very alluring. Especially paired with those high heels and that shade of lipstick. And her hair was slightly curly.

Regina looked rather amused at the way Emma stared at her. ,,You are early, dear."

,,And you're beautiful," Emma blurted out. _I should probably have dolled up too_.

But Regina seemed pleased with Emma's appearance. ,,Miss Swan, you are an absolute vision."

Emma rolled her green eyes. _I think you are the "vision" here. Not me_.

,,Do come in," Regina said briskly and stepped aside so Emma could cross the threshold. The blonde noticed how the other woman briefly looked out on the street and chuckled quietly to herself.

Emma looked around in the mansion. The place seemed different, or, she was seeing it with different eyes. To her, the mansion had always seemed to large, too many rooms and too tidy to live in. But now, the house seemed warm and inviting. She felt welcome.

,,I'm afraid dinner isn't quite ready yet," Regina said.

Emma sniffed into the air. ,,Well, it smells amazing. What are you making?"

,,Lasagna," Regina admitted with a grin.

,,What, no frozen pizza tonight?" Emma teased lightly. Frozen pizza had been Roni's "specialty".

,,Nu-uh," Regina joked. ,,Lasagna. _From scratch_."

 _From scratch_? _Is she trying to impress me or something_? _Because I am already pretty darn impressed_.

,,But as I said, it's not quite done yet," Regina continued. ,,So I was wondering if you would like to take a walk with me and Lady while the lasagna is in the oven?"

,,Yeah, sure," Emma grinned. _I would like nothing more than that_.

,,Come on, Lady," Regina called, and the cocker spaniel came trotting through the door, she sniffed at Emma's trouser leg and wagged her tail in recognition.

,,Hey girlie," Emma said and bent down to pet the dog. ,,Did you miss me?"

Lady yapped.

,,She _has_ ," Emma said triumphantly.

,,Try not to let it overinflate your ego," Regina deadpanned as she put a leash on Lady. ,,Shall we?"

,,Yep."

The two women left the mansion, and Emma felt nothing but pure happiness as they walked down Mifflin Street with Lady prancing along in front of them. To Emma, this, _this_ was life. And to think she once thought she knew what "real" happiness was. She might as well have been blind.

,,Can I…?" she asked and hesitantly reached for Regina's hand.

The brunette chuckled warmly. ,,Emma, you don't have to _ask_."

Emma couldn't help but grin as she interlaced their fingers.

Regina gave her fingers a light squeeze and then lowered her voice as she conspiratorially said: ,,Do you know we're being followed?"

,,Huh?" the blonde replied confused and raised an eyebrow.

Regina shot another amused glance behind her. ,,Your mother has been hovering around my place since you arrived."

,, _Seriously_?" Emma said and rolled her eyes.

,,Mhmm. Maybe she's making sure I'm not trying anything inappropriate with you," Regina grinned, and Emma's jaw dropped.

,,I don't think I would mind that. If you were inappropriate with me, I mean."

Regina laughed again and squeezed her hand once more.

,,Do you want me to ask her to drop it? Because I can do that," Emma offered, but Regina just chuckled.

,,Let her. She's probably dying of curiosity. And completely oblivious to the fact that we've seen her."

Emma sighed deeply in mock sadness. ,,This is gonna be tricky, isn't it?"

,,Very," Regina said gravely and let go of Emma's hand to wrap her arm loosely around the blonde's waist instead. ,,Is this okay?"

,,Yeah." _It's totally okay. More than okay_.

,,She's still following us," Regina commented as they continued their walk around town.

,,She's embarrassing me," Emma muttered.

Regina chuckled. ,,She's your mother. She can't help it."

,,As long as she's not insisting upon joining us for dinner," the blonde grumbled.

,,Do I get permission to slam the door in her face if she tries?" Regina asked sweetly.

,,Permission totally granted," Emma chuckled.

,,And now I'm hoping she will," Regina said mischievously. ,,It's been a while since I slammed the door in Snow White's face."

,,Your jokes are getting better," Emma praised.

,,Thank you." Regina glanced at her watch. ,,We should head back. The lasagna is probably about done. I hope you're hungry."

,,Like the wolf," Emma assured.

They headed back to the mansion, Regina let Lady off her leash, and the dog instantly curled up on her blanket in the kitchen.

Emma groaned when she saw her mother still lurking behind Regina's fence. _Why this sudden curiosity about my relationship_?

Emma answered the question herself. Because it was Regina. Obviously.

Said brunette returned from the kitchen and followed Emma's gaze. ,,Do you mind if I close the curtains? She's making me nervy."

,, _Please_ do." Emma said quickly. She wasn't very keen on having her mother lurking through the fence all night.

Regina walked over to the window and closed the curtains. And Emma noticed that she was grinning widely at their lurker while she did it.

 _Cheeky you_.

,,Dinner's ready," Regina announced and ushered Emma into the dining room. ,,Sit down, dear."

And Emma sat down at the neatly set table. A very nice, white table cloth covered the large table, and there were lit candles on the table as well.

 _So this is what a date with Regina Mills looks like_. _Did she do all this for me_? _Damn_.

Regina smiled sweetly at the blonde as she filled her glass with red wine.

 _Yep, this is definitely some kind of wonderful dream_.

,,Cheers," the brunette smiled and clinked her glass with Emma's.

,,Cheers," Emma beamed as she took a sip of the wine. Very good wine too, and it had probably costed more than Emma's entire wardrobe.

They dug into the lasagna, and Regina laughed and talked while they ate. In fact, Emma had never seen her quite so... bubbly and happy.

 _Is that because of_ _me_ _? Am I making her this happy_?

The thought of that made Emma's own lips curl into a broad smile. To imagine that they were actually here, having dinner together after everything that had happened. Was this the calm after the storm? Could this really be that "new chapter" she had been steering toward?

Emma certainly hoped so.

An eaten lasagna and several glasses of wine later, they ended up on the couch in front of the fireplace's flickering flames, Regina had brought their wineglasses and a bottle with her into the living room, but Emma wasn't paying attention to the alcohol. She was far more interested in the beautiful woman next to her, and once Regina had tended to the fireplace and returned to the couch, Emma couldn't help herself anymore. She just had to lean in and kiss the brunette. And Regina didn't seem to mind that one bit. She gently cupped Emma's face and returned the kiss.

 _Oh, look at that. Back in Paradise_. Emma decided to test the waters a little, and her hand went on a little journey from Regina's neck to her knee. The brunette didn't flinch at that, she simply wrapped her arms firmly around Emma's neck and ghosted the tip of her tongue along Emma's lower lip.

Oh. _Oh_! Emma more than willingly opened her mouth, and welcomed Regina's tongue. Whatever shyness the other woman had been feeling yesterday, seemed completely gone right now, and Regina suddenly shifted them, so Emma was more or less sitting in her lap. A position the Savior didn't mind one bit.

 _Maybe I'm dead and in heaven_ , Emma mused to herself as she heard Regina kick her high heels off. The brunette shifted again, and Emma gulped when the other woman lied back on the couch and wrapped her stocking clad legs around the blonde's jeans-clad legs.

Emma wasn't sure exactly what had changed Regina's mind about this, but she sure was grateful. Kissing Regina was as natural as eating or drinking, as easy as breathing in the air.

Right now, Regina _was_ her air. Hell, she was _everything_. The world only consisted of one thing, Regina, and Emma once again had trouble believing this was real as she dipped down and kissed the brunette's neck. Regina whimpered, actually _whimpered_ , and that sound went straight to Emma's head.

 _Do you even know the effect you have on me_?

As if she had said it out loud, Regina grabbed onto the soft flesh on Emma's hips and squeezed lightly.

 _If the world ended right now, I would die happy.._

Emma gasped against Regina's throat when the brunette skimmed a finger up and down her spine and digged into the soft flesh. A moment later, Emma struggled to keep her head on when she felt Regina's hand against her naked back underneath the tank top.

Now it was Emma's turn to whimper a little as she dipped down to kiss Regina's throat again. Regina's legs tightened around her waist, and for a moment, Emma feared that she had crossed some sort of line, but then the brunette moaned and closed her eyes in pure bliss.

,,Regina…" Emma whispered softly.

,,Emma," the brunette breathed back and opened her eyes. Brown eyes found green orbs and Regina reached up and cupped Emma's face as she kissed her tenderly once more and tugged lightly at the straps on her tanktop.

Emma tangled her fingers into Regina's curly hair. She could seriously do this forever and be happy about it. But yet… she wanted more. No, she _craved_ more. Regina was like a drug. Have just one taste and you get completely addicted.

But this was an addiction Emma didn't mind in the slightest. She broke the kiss, but her hands never left Regina's hair as she said: ,,I don't want to stop…"

 **To Be Continued…**


	37. Chapter 37

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 37:**

 _Wow, that was pretty straight forward, Emma. Nicely done._

,,Me neither," Regina whispered. ,,I want you, Emma."

 _Oh god, this is actually happening._

Emma dipped down to kiss Regina again, and the brunette skimmed her finger up and down Emma's spine.

Emma knew she wasn't exactly flying blindly here, but yet she felt like this was the first time. And in a way, it _was_. There was no curse to twist the image of who they really were, and that thought was suddenly intimidating to Emma. She wanted this so much, wanted to make Regina feel good, but was afraid that her anxiousness would get in the way and ruin the whole thing.

But Regina quickly sensed that Emma was getting nervous, and came to the blonde's rescue. She sat up slightly and stroked Emma's cheek tenderly: ,,We can wait if you don't feel ready, Emma. It's perfectly alright."

Regina was giving her every chance to back out, but Emma didn't want to hear any of it. ,,No!" the blonde said. ,,I _want_ this. It's just…" she didn't finish the sentence, she didn't have too. Regina found her hand and kissed it. ,,It's okay," the brunette assured.

Emma wasn't really sure what was "okay", but she found that she didn't care much anyway. Regina's dark eyes gleamed and her cheeks and neck was going flush. Now was definitely not a good time to get coy.

So Emma found the other woman's lips again and kissed once more. When Regina was gasping for air, the blonde moved her lips down her cheek, kissed her jaw, and moved down her neck, kissing a spot between her shoulder and neck. A light moan escaped Regina.

 _Oh. A sensitive spot. Duly noted_.

Had Regina's reaction to Emma's lips on her neck been this strong while they were cursed in Seattle? A very small part of Emma's brain tried to remember, but most of her attention was on Regina's hands which were now on her lower back. Their legs were completely entangled on Regina's not-quite-big-enough-for-two-couch. Thinking about it, maybe the couch wasn't the best place to do this. They couldn't even lie down properly.

And it seemed like Regina was capable of reading her mind once again. ,,Upstairs?" the brunette gently suggested and cupped the back of Emma's neck.

Again, it was a question. She gave Emma every opportunity to say no.

But Emma was done being awkward and fumbling. ,,Yeah. Upstairs." The blonde said and de-tangled her legs from Regina's, prepared to grab the brunette's hand and lead her upstairs.

But she never got the chance to. Regina waved her hand and engulfed them both in purple smoke. When the smoke disappeared, Emma found herself standing in Regina's bedroom. The bedroom she had never laid eyes upon before, and never expected to see like _this_. Sometimes fate was a strange one.

,,Nice trick," Emma complimented.

,,Why waste time on walking?" Regina and closed the gap between them once more. She pulled Emma flush against her, and the blonde felt a bit dizzy from having the other woman so close. She smelled _amazing_. Apples and cinnamon again, and being close to her felt so safe.

Regina never broke their kiss. Her lips never left Emma's, and that was why Emma didn't notice what the brunette's hands were doing. It was only when she heard a whizzing sound, that she noticed that Regina had reached behind her and unzipped the red dress she had been donning that night.

 _Give that woman a medal for her multitasking_.

Emma quickly jumped into action and pushed the dress off Regina's shoulders. The garment fell to the floor, and Emma took a moment to drink in the vision before her eyes. Regina was breathtakingly beautiful, and when Emma told her that, the brunette smiled a little, and Emma could have sworn she blushed.

It was like seeing Regina for the first time, and completely spellbound, Emma ran a finger over her lightly toned stomach. The brunette shuddered at that, but Emma's lips curled into a broad smile when her finger brushed against something hard in Regina's navel.

,,It's still there," the blonde grinned and traced her finger along the shimmering jewel in Regina's belly button.

,,Mm. Has been there for a good while now," Regina answered softly and took Emma's hand as she stepped backwards towards the bed.

 _God, imagine if I never walked into that bar_ , Emma thought to herself as she found herself on top of Regina once more. Their legs entangled once more, and Regina tugged at the hem of Emma's tanktop and gently pulled it over the blonde's head. Emma barely noticed that the garment ended up on the floor along with Regina's discarded dress. She was far too busy wiggling out of her jeans, and they soon joined the other items on the floor.

The blonde pursed her lips when she looked down and remembered her mismatched underwear. ,,I uh.. didn't exactly dress for this."

,,Neither did I," Regina gently retorted and opened Emma's bra in one swift movement. Emma shuddered when slender fingers brushed against her breasts.

Who cared about mismatched underwear? Who cared about new, potential villains arriving in Storybrooke at any moment? Who cared about the next disaster? Wasn't _this_ the most important thing in the world right now?

Emma found a lot of things in this world to be beautiful. There were beautiful places she once visited, and beautiful music she once cherished. But all of it, _everything_ paled in comparison to _this_. Regina gasping underneath her and clutching at Emma's back. Well, it was actually more _clawing_ than clutching, and Emma stiffened for a second in surprise when Regina's nails dug into her naked back.

,,I'm sorry," Regina offered and flattened her hand against Emma's back instead.

,,No, it's alright," Emma quickly assured. _Please don't stop doing that_. _I really,_ _really_ _appreciate that kind of enthusiasm_. Roni had never done that, definitely a Regina thing.

The nails returned to the blonde's back and began scratching lightly again, and Emma for a moment found it incredibly difficult to concentrate. But Regina didn't seem to notice her momentarily "zoning out", the brunette moaned again and arched her back in pleasure at Emma's touch. That brought Emma back and she lowered her mouth to Regina's breast again.

 _Would I even notice it if there was an explosion in the town right now_? _Nope. Probably not_. Not when Regina was clutching at her back like this and moaning her name in that sultry tone.

Time seemed to have stopped completely, and Emma would gladly have spent the entire night doing this, but suddenly Regina's legs began trembling and her lips fell open in a silent scream as pleasure crashed down upon her.

 _This,_ _this_ _is definitely the most beautiful sight in the world_. Regina with unruly hair and drops of sweat trickling down her neck, completely lost in pleasure. _What a sight. I did this to her. I made her feel this way._

Finally, Regina exhaled sharply, and her bent knees fell open. Her chest rise and fell fast still and she clutched on to Emma's back. Her dark eyes were still squeezed shut, and for a moment, Emma saw a far younger and more vulnerable version of Regina. Was this the first glimpse of Regina's soul she saw? This completely bliss full satisfaction, was this how complete surrender looked?

Emma didn't find out. The next minute, Regina finally opened her eyes and gently flipped them so Emma was underneath her.

All thoughts finally left the blonde's head when Regina kissed her way down Emma's body. The only thing she thought about was Regina. How could she think of anything else? Wasn't this everything? Wasn't this the essence of life itself? Emma's body lit up like a torch and burned under Regina's touch. Everything was on fire. And she seemed to experience everything stronger than she normally did. The lightest touch from Regina's fingers made her squirm, and the other woman's deep and chocolate-y voice made her moan out a breathy version of her name.

 _If I'm really on fire, how am I ever gonna stop burning_? _How am I ever gonna stop wanting more of this_? _Can this kind of addiction even be cured_?

No, probably not. But that didn't concern Emma in the slightest. Her brain was going fuzzy once more, and Regina's lips on her inner thigh made her forget everything. Even her own name.

It could have been a few minutes, but it could also have been a few hours. Emma wasn't completely sure, all she knew was that she never wanted this to end. Ever. But she was completely exhausted. Her throat was scratching, and her voice raspy. And her legs felt slightly numb.

And Regina was a complete mirror of her exhaustion when she finally collapsed next to the blonde, chest rising and falling quickly. Emma wasn't sure if it was her imagination, or she really could hear the quick "thump, thump, thump" of Regina's heartbeat. The rhythm seemed way too fast, and for a moment, Emma was concerned.

,,Are you okay?" she asked as she snuggled closer to rest her head on the brunette's chest. Her heart still beat too quickly.

,,I'm fine," Regina answered softly, and a bit raspy.

,,Your heart. It's beating so fast," Emma murmured and put a hand on Regina's chest.

,,So it does," Regina replied noncommittally. Then she chuckled warmly. ,,I do feel so very _alive_ right now."

Emma sniggered tiredly. ,,That's a good thing. I wouldn't want you dying on me right now. Or any time else for that matter…"

Regina laughed. ,,You are tired, dear. You're babbling nonsense."

,,I'm _not_ tired," Emma denied stubbornly. ,,And I'm _definitely_ not done with you yet." She wanted to kiss Regina again, wanted to flip them over and be on top of her again, but she couldn't get her body to respond.

Regina chuckled huskily. ,,Get some sleep, Emma. I'm not going anywhere."

,,Do you promise?" Emma yawned. Her eyelids fluttered. She was practically already asleep.

,,I promise," Regina said quietly and took the blonde's wrist between her hands. Emma hummed in appreciation when she felt Regina's lips on her wrist. She thought she heard Regina say something and she strained her tired ears to hear it properly. The brunette's voice seemed muddled and far away, but Emma still picked up on something. ,,The woman with the Lyon tattoo. What a coincidence."

,,Huh? Did you say something?" Emma asked and tried to open her eyes.

,,No. Nothing, dear. Just go to sleep."

,,Be here when I wake up," Emma warned and grabbed onto Regina's wrist- the only part of the brunette she could reach at the moment.

,,I'm not going anywhere," Regina reminded her.

,,You better not."

 **To Be Continued…?**


	38. Chapter 38

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 38:**

Sunshine came streaming through the half-closed curtains, and Emma woke up once the streams hit her naked back.

The blonde rolled onto her side, and to her surprise, Regina was still curled up under the crumpled blankets, sleeping soundly.

 _I thought Regina was an early riser_.

It appeared that Emma was the early riser on this particular morning. It was only 8:15 in the morning, and here she was, wide awake.

But today, Emma was determined not to lie awake alone, so she pressed a light kiss to Regina's shoulder.

As opposed to her denim clad alter ego, it didn't take much to wake the brunette, and she quickly blinked a few times before opening her eyes properly.

,,Hey." She said with a little half-smile and ran a finger through her messy curls.

,,When did you get this?" Emma asked without any further greeting and tapped her finger against the gemstone in Regina's navel.

,,Sometime during the first curse," Regina said and squirmed- wash she ticklish?

,,Why?" Emma asked curiously. She found it ever so fascinating that the polished and perfect Madam Mayor of Storybrooke had something as "outrageous" as a navel piercing. She would never have connected Regina with any sort of piercings.

Regina shrugged. ,,As we all know, the curse didn't bring me any peace. I was bored and desperate to change _something_. To mark that time actually passed."

,,But why a piercing?" Emma inquired.

Regina remained completely nonchalant as she said: ,,I once knew someone who had such a piercing. I guess you could say it fascinated me, and I wanted to copy it."

,,A woman?" Emma asked quite un-necessarily. The look on Regina's face already said enough.

,,Yes." Regina answered calmly. ,,Bodily decoration wasn't very customary in the Enchanted Forest, so that was probably why I became fascinated."

,,So there has been other women?" Emma questioned and grinned a little.

Regina shot her an "are you kidding me" look. ,,Did I appear to an amateur yesterday, miss Swan?"

 _Definitely not an amateur_. ,,How many?" Emma pressed. Maybe she was prying a little now, but she was so curious.

,,A few," Regina shrugged nonchalantly.

,,A few?" Emma raised an eyebrow.

,,Alright, perhaps there was more than a few," Regina said, and Emma could have sworn the other woman was amused by her questions. ,,Why do you ask?"

,,Because I want to know you," Emma said plainly.

Regina's eyebrow raised higher. ,,You already know me, miss Swan. I really don't see what my previous… connections have to do with what's happening between you and me."

,,If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were embarrassed," Emma pointed out, and Regina shook her head.

,,No. I'm not embarrassed. Just not used to discussing my sexuality that's all."

They lay in silence for a while, Emma restlessly combed her fingers through Regina's hair and finally said. ,,You could have told me, you know. Hell, we've known each other for almost seven years."

,,Did you ever ask me?" Regina teased.

,,Uh.. At first I was a little busy trying to fight you and then I was chasing after various villains, the wasn't any time for personal conversations, really."

,,Exactly," Regina commented. ,,The subject never came up, and why should it? I don't think I ever gave you any reason to wonder about my sexuality."

,,Actually, I did once," Emma admitted. ,,But we happened to be overrun by villains at that time too, so I never got the chance to actually ask you."

,,I probably wouldn't have answered you," Regina grinned. ,,When was that, pray tell? What did I do to rouse your curiosity?"

,,Nothing. It was more what somebody else did," Emma replied.

,,Not following."

,,Maleficent gave you some pretty intense looks when she first arrived here," Emma recalled. ,,At first I didn't get it, but then I began to wonder…"

,,Did you now?" Regina teased. ,,And what did you conclude?"

Emma answered the question with another question: ,,Is she your ex or something like that?"

Regina chuckled and gave Emma's shoulder a squeeze. ,,Jealous?"

,,Is that a yes?"

,,Yes." Regina said plainly, still looking a little amused.

,,So you and her were… together?" Emma asked. _The Evil Queen and The Mistress of all Evil. That sounds like one hell of a bad cocktail_.

,,Isn't that the definition of an _ex_?" Regina teased, but then pulled herself together: ,,Yes. She and I were indeed together. Quite a while actually."

,,How long?"

,,A few years."

,,What happened?"

,,It ended," Regina said plainly.

,,Why?"

,,Because it had to," Regina said unsentimental. ,,I was getting more and more interested in dark magic. I couldn't let anything distract me. It was probably for the best anyway. We weren't good for each other."

,,But you were still together for years."

,,Mhmm."

,,Why?"

Now Regina was actually grinning. ,,Why do you think?"

,,Right." Emma blushed crimson. She really, really _didn't_ want to speculate too much about Regina and Maleficent's relationship.

,,It wasn't a very serious relationship," Regina admitted with a shrug and glanced at her alarm clock. ,,Now, if you don't have any more burning questions, I would like to have some breakfast. And possibly a shower."

,,Actually, I have one more question," Emma said.

,,Yes?"

,,What's for breakfast?" Emma asked cheekily

Regina rolled her eyes as she shrugged on a robe. ,,Demanding breakfast too I see."

,,I'm hungry," Emma defended.

,,And who says I'll cook for you?" Regina shot back.

But that was exactly what Emma found her doing when the blonde emerged from the bathroom after a quick shower.

Regina was still wearing her bathrobe and her hair was still completely tousled, and Emma found her absolutely beautiful. Once again, she looked far younger than she was. It was hard to imagine that Emma once hated this woman with all her heart.

,,And you helped yourself to my shower too I see," Regina teased as she flipped two pieces of toast on the frying pan.

,,I couldn't very well go out with my hair all messed up. Imagine what your neighbors would say, Madam Mayor."

,,That you had a good time last night?" Regina suggested innocently as she served the French toasts and sprinkled extra cinnamon.

,,That would be an understatement," Emma grinned a bit coyly.

Regina returned the smile. ,,You do like French toast, right?"

,,I love it," Emma assured and digged into the food. ,,You are one hell of a cook."

,,Language, miss Swan." Regina said mock sternly, and then: ,,I imagine my cooking will make you stick around."

,,Uh, not just your cooking," Emma sniggered. ,,I see several _other_ reasons to stick around."

Regina smiled and took a bite of the French toast.

And Emma very much "stuck around". She considered the nights she was sleeping alone wasted, so she often found herself in Regina's bed. Some nights they just talked about everything. About the past, about Seattle, and then about the future. A dangerous subject, as Regina said.

And other nights, words were abandoned in favor of _other things_.

Some nights Emma coaxed Regina into staying over at her place instead, something Regina wasn't completely contend with. She didn't feel very good with "taking over the pirate's spot" as she said. Emma had then said she would buy another bed if Regina really felt so terrible with it, and Regina had rolled her eyes and called Emma an idiot.

But this morning was one of Emma's "lucky days". She had succeeded in talking Regina into staying the night. Not that the blonde minded staying over in the mansion, but it was also nice to spend some time "at home" and even nicer now that Regina had blessed her with her presence.

Emma was halfway through her breakfast when there was a knock on the door. The blonde abandoned her toast with jam and went over to open the door. It quickly turned out that the morning visitors was her parents.

,,Hi mom, dad." The blonde smiled. ,,Come in."

,,We're not interrupting or anything are we?" David asked as he and Snow stepped inside.

,,No, no. Not at all. I was just having breakfast. Do you want something too?" Emma offered.

,,That would be nice." Snow smiled and she and Charming sat down at the table.

All three of them chatted on, and Snow mentioned how much she looked forward to the dinner Henry and Ella was having next week.

,,He's invited half of town," David nodded.

,,He's happy to be home again," Emma smiled.

,,It's good to have him back," Snow agreed. ,,He's been away for too long."

,,He needed to find his own story. And he did." Emma was so proud of her big son. And she agreed with her mother. It was so nice to have him home again. She had missed him so much during the years he had been away. Storybrooke had felt empty without the truest believer.

The sound of high heels on a wooden floor, footsteps approaching, and then Regina came down the stairs, muttering something about being late for work. Again.

Emma shot the brunette a quick look. Her hair was still slightly wet from the shower, but besides that, she looked completely perfect in one of her many, many, pantsuits, high heels and flawless makeup.

,,So we _are_ interrupting," David murmured quietly, while Snow said somewhat louder: ,,Good morning, Regina!"

The brunette flinched and the open, warm smile Emma knew, was immediately replaced with a calm, reserved façade.

,,Good morning," Regina said completely formal. That was the only thing that bugged Emma about this. The brunette was no longer shy around her, but when it came to her parents, Regina was almost ridiculously polite and formal. And a hundredth percent careful with what she said and how she acted around them. In a way, Emma fully understood why she did it. This was still so new and a very different situation, and she couldn't blame Regina for being a little hesitant. But it still made the blonde a little sad to see Regina like this. So guarded and "closed up" around her parents. Did she really still think that Snow and David somehow blamed her for ruining Emma's marriage? Or was she just a ridiculously private person?

,,Why don't you sit down and have breakfast with us?" Snow offered with a kind smile.

,,No thank you. I was on my work," Regina quickly said.

,,You should at least stay and have some coffee," Emma insisted. ,,Sit down."

Emma knew she was pushing the brunette a little now, but Regina didn't say anything when she sat down at the table. But her dark eyes kept flickering in all directions, and she clearly felt very, very trapped sitting between Snow and David.

 _She still looks like she's expecting them to murder her any minute_.

Snow poured Regina a cup of coffee. ,,Here you go, Regina."

,,Thank you." The brunette curled her fingers around the cup, and Emma noticed how her fingers trembled a little. Clearly, she was having some sort of minor panic attack.

Snow, David, and Emma chatted on, but Emma noticed that Regina wasn't saying a lot. Just sitting there and drinking her coffee in top speed.

,,Thank you for the coffee," the brunette quickly said as she put the coffee cup on the table again, and Emma noticed how her fingers reached into her pockets. Regina was probably in dire need of a cigarette right now.

,,Call me later?" Emma asked, determined to keep this "normal".

,,Mhmm. Of course. See you later," Regina replied and settled for giving Emma's hand a quick but soft squeeze. She was yet to kiss Emma in front of anyone.

,,Have a good day," Regina said and flashed Snow and David a brief smile.

,,You, too," David said.

Five seconds later, the brunette was out of the door, and Emma was positive she was smoking by now.

Snow pursed her lips regretfully. ,,She shouldn't be feeling like this around us. That's not right."

,,She's a private person," Emma shrugged, but silently agreed with her mom.

,,That wasn't being private," Snow said. ,,That was running away from us."

,,She's unsure on how to act around you," Emma explained. ,,And I don't blame her, I mean this is pretty.. new."

,,But still, she shouldn't act like a trapped animal around us," Snow insisted.

,,Give her some time," Emma said and parroted her mother's word. ,,I'm sure she will come around."

Snow pursed her lips again and frowned for a moment. Then a smile blossomed on her face. ,,I want you over for dinner."

,,Pardon?" Emma said.

,,You heard me. I want both of you over for dinner."

,,Uh.." _would Regina even consider that_? ,,I don't know if that's a good idea, mom."

,,She might be your girlfriend," Snow said without batting an eye. ,,But Regina was my friend long before you two started seeing each other, and I miss her."

,,Oh." Emma hadn't exactly thought about like that. But now that Snow said it, Regina and she _were_ pretty close before the brunette and Emma got together.

,,Give her the invitation," Snow insisted. ,,And make sure she shows up."

,,I'll see what I can do."

 **To Be Continued..**


	39. Chapter 39

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 39:**

Emma wondered a great deal how she should convince Regina that dinner with Snow and Charming would be a good idea.

Dinner with her parents. That was kind of a big deal. Was Regina even ready for that? Were _they_ ready for that? A dinner with her parents wasn't exactly what Emma would call _taking things slow_.

But still, Emma understood what her mother meant. She and Regina had been pretty close friends, and now Regina was acting like a stranger around her. And Snow was right. It shouldn't be like that. Regina shouldn't feel awkward around them.

So after Emma finished her shift at the sheriff's station, she decided to swing by the town hall. Her mother's invitation was a perfect excuse to go and see Regina.

After giving it a second thought, she stopped by Granny's and picked up some lunch for Regina. Hopefully the brunette hadn't eaten already.

It was another a beautiful day in Storybrooke, and Emma enjoyed the walk to the town hall. The sun was shining from a blue, cloud-free sky. Summer was definitely coming early this year.

There was no sign of Regina's secretary today, so Emma knocked on the office door, and five seconds later she heard Regina say "come in".

Emma stepped inside and found the brunette sitting behind her desk, completely engaged in a phone conversation. But at the first sight of Emma, the brunette smiled warmly and made a sit down motion with her hand. Then she continued her phone call.

Clearly, the other person on the line annoyed the hell out of Regina, and Emma couldn't help but grin. The more irritated she became, the more she spoke with an accent and snubbed off her words. She sounded so much like Roni when she was ticked off.

Finally, the brunette ended the call and put the phone down. ,,Sorry about that."

,,It's alright. I brought you lunch."

,,Thank you. What are you laughing at?" Regina frowned and squinted her dark eyes at Emma.

,,Nothing," Emma brushed her words aside.

,,So you are just laughing for no apparent reason?" Regina said sarcastically. ,,Hm. Well I guess I always knew you were strange."

,,Hey! I am not strange!" Emma protested.

,,Says the woman who laughs at "nothing"." Regina taunted.

,,Fine. I was laughing at you, alright?"

,,Of _me_? Regina wrinkled her nose. ,,And why is that, miss Swan?"

,,You speak with an accent when you get angry," Emma grinned goofily.

To her surprise, Regina looked a bit amused too. ,,Yes, I noticed that too. Apparently, it's hard to be completely rid of Roni."

,,Is that bad?" Emma asked and left the chair to sit on Regina's desk instead.

,,Nah," Regina quipped and borrowed one of Roni's favorite expressions. ,,I'll just have to accept that she's a part of me now."

,,And a damn good part too," Emma grinned. ,,Who was that poor guy on the phone?"

,,Just some moron who needed to be put in his place. Now, what can I do for you, miss Swan?"

,,I, uh.." Emma wondered how she could best deliver her mother's invitation without things getting awkward.

,,Do I need to put you in your place too, miss Swan?"

,,What?" that threw the blonde completely off, and she blinked.

,,I'm just teasing," Regina assured, eyes sparkling with amusement. ,,What can I do for you?"

But that remark perked Emma's interest. ,,And how exactly would you _put me in my place_ , Madam Mayor?"

,,I'm sure you don't want to know," Regina said imperturbably.

,,Actually I do."

,,Quite the little adventurer, aren't you?" Regina teased lightheartedly.

Emma chuckled, but she was still more than interested in knowing just _how_ Regina would "put her in her place".

But apparently, that subject was closed for now. Regina took a bite of the kale salad Emma had fetched for her. ,,What brings you all the way over to my office, miss Swan?"

,,My mom actually," Emma admitted with a light chuckle.

,,Oh?" Regina said and swallowed another bite of the salad. ,,Are you running your mother's errands now?"

,,You could say that," Emma nodded. ,,She wants you over for dinner."

,,Me?" Regina chuckled. ,,If that's the case, why isn't she asking me myself?"

,,She thought it would be better if I asked you."

,,And why is that?"

,,Because.." Emma hesitated and bit the inside of her cheek. ,,She wants us both over for dinner. As a couple."

For a second, the blonde thought that Regina would choke on her salad, but then the brunette swallowed the massive bite and half chuckled as she said: ,,I see."

 _Wait what_?

,,That's a bad idea, isn't it?" Emma asked hesitantly.

,,Why?" Regina replied plainly.

,,Well.." Emma fiddled with her hands in her lap.

,,Are you ashamed over me?" Regina half-teased, but Emma saw a flicker of real concern in her dark eyes.

,, _No_ ," Emma said firmly and took Regina's hand. ,,It's just.. you haven't exactly been very keen on hanging out with my parents lately, so I assumed that _you_ were embarrassed about this in some way, and I didn't want to pressure you, but my mom kept talking about that she misses you and wants to hang out with you again, and…"

Regina silenced her by pressing a finger to her lip. ,,Shh…You're rambling dear."

,,So I am. I'm sorry."

,,Don't apologize," Regina said, still with her finger on Emma's lips. ,,Your adorable rambling is partly my fault. I know, I have been acting weird around your parents. I guess a part of me still has a hard time realizing that they are fine with this."

,,They _are_ ," Emma said, rushing to assure the brunette. ,,They really are. Hell, my mom even called you my "girlfriend"."

,, _Girlfriend_?" Regina echoed and wrinkled her nose. ,,She has been hanging too much with her students instead of adults."

,,You don't like that word?" Emma guessed.

,,Not really."

,,What _can_ I call you then?" Emma questioned. ,,"friend with benefits"?"

,,Grow up, miss Swan."

,,If not girlfriend, then what?" Emma sniggered.

,,How about… partners?" Regina suggested and looked pending at Emma.

,,Partners," Emma said and tested the word on her tongue. ,,I like it. Very grown up."

Regina rolled her eyes. ,,So that's settled, in case you ever need to introduce me to someone new. And regarding dinner, tell your mother that I'm in."

,,You.. You are?" Emma asked. ,,Just like that?"

,,Just like that," Regina grinned. ,,No reason to look so surprised, dear. I'm not that difficult."

,,I never said you were," Emma protested. ,,I just thought that you would balk at this."

Regina shook her head. ,,I'm tired of taking of every time your parents stops by. It's silly, and completely unnecessary. I have nothing to be ashamed of."

,,Wow." Emma knew that this realization probably had been hard to get to, and she was full of admiration for Regina. After looking like a trapped animal, suddenly this change. That was pretty damn impressive.

,,What do you think your parents would have thought of Roni?" Regina asked rather suddenly, taking Emma by surprise again.

,,That she was a beautiful badass with an awesome accent?" Emma suggested with a grin. ,,Why? Are you planning on going to the dinner as her instead of yourself?"

,,That would have been a kicker," Regina joked, and stole another Roni-expression. ,,But no, I think I would prefer to come as myself."

Emma was about to answer that, but then she thought a little longer about Regina's words. ,,Hang on, does that mean that you still have Roni's clothes?"

Regina's smile grew wider. ,,Did you except me to just thrash poor Roni like that? Oh no, she's very near and dear to my heart, miss Swan. I owe her a lot."

Emma knew she took a big risk, but she couldn't help but ask: ,,Any chance I can see her again?"

But Regina still looked very indulgent when she answered: ,,Perhaps. But you will have to tell me why before I humiliate myself one last time."

,,I would like to say goodbye to her," Emma said honestly. ,,I never got the chance to do that. One moment she was here and the next moment she was gone."

Regina tilted her head. ,,How strange it may sound, I think I actually understand that. I think I can handle being a bartender with a weird accent one last time."

Emma grinned and squeezed Regina's hand. ,,I should let you work now."

,,You should. And do tell your sweet mother that I'm looking so much forward to the dinner."

Emma didn't find out whether the brunette was sarcastic or sincere. Knowing Regina, it could very well have been a mixture of both.

Alas, three days later, Emma was present in her parents' kitchen. Her mother's dinner idea had indeed come true, and some kind of lamb chop was currently cooking in the oven along with the potatoes.

Emma felt a little ridiculous in her green dress. She felt too formal in the dress, and her hair curled and styled, hell, she even wore makeup. She was definitely overdoing it. This was just her parents and Regina, for heaven's sake.

Emma glanced discreetly at her watch. 6:58. Two minutes until Regina was supposed to arrive. The blonde felt a hint of panic. What if everything Regina had said the other day had been one big load of lies? What if she really was panicking at the thought of having dinner with Emma and her parents like this? What if she was balking at the thought of being Emma's "partner"?

,,She'll show up," David interrupted his daughter's catastrophic thoughts.

,,What?"

,,Regina. She'll show up."

,,How did you even know…?"

,,You have been staring at your watch for the past fifteen minutes," David grinned.

,,Oh."

,,I never seen you so worked up about anyone before," the prince commented nonchalantly.

,,You and I both know that Regina isn't "anyone" ", Emma muttered and cursed the blush rising in her cheeks.

,,No, I guess she isn't," David nodded. ,,She's special. Something else."

 _Only took me a curse to realize that._ ,,Yeah. She is."

David gave her arm a soft squeeze, and then Snow emerged from the kitchen.

,,Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," she announced.

,,Okay." Once again, Emma panicked. Time was ticking, and there was still no sign of Regina. The blonde expected her phone to buzz any minute with some sort of excuse from Regina to blow off dinner.

But the next second, there was a faint knock of the door, and Emma's head snapped up. Her heart rate sped up. Was she actually here?

David went upstairs to fetch Neal, and Snow went into the kitchen to check on dinner, leaving Emma to open the door for Regina. Emma felt relieved when she went into the hall. Sometimes here parents were quite tactful.

The blonde took one last calming breath before opening the door. And her anxiousness turned into a wide grin when she saw Regina. And then she honestly felt a bit dizzy. Regina looked so beautiful in a light, white dress and her hair hanging in soft curls- not Roni's unruly version, but still- and to full fill this image of perfection, she was carrying a large bouquet of yellow tulips.

,,For me?" Emma asked and gestured to the flowers.

But Regina shook her head and smiled cheekily. ,,Not a chance, dear. These are for your mother."

,,Really?" Now Emma was smiling too.

,,Mhmm." Regina said as she stepped inside. ,,It's a sorry-for-falling-in-love-with-your-daughter-I-didn't-mean-to bouquet."

Emma's jaw dropped with a soft _pop_. What was that Regina was saying? Was she… Was she really?

,,What?" Regina asked, completely obvious to Emma's surprise.

,,Are you in love with me?" Emma asked quietly.

Regina didn't seem fazed in any way. ,,I thought that was fairly obvious?"

 _What_?!

,,But you.. have never said… before…" Emma murmured halfheartedly.

,,Emma." Regina sniggered now. ,,I fell in love with you the moment you walked into "my" bar."

 _Wow_.

Emma didn't get the chance to be surprised very long before her parents and Neal emerged, and Regina handed Snow the bouquet and thanked her for the invitation. Snow was delighted to receive the flowers and gushed as she gave Regina a hug as thank you.

The dinner went beyond all expectation. Regina chatted with Snow and David about everything and nothing, she joked with Neal, and even told them a little about how her life in Seattle had been. Described her apartment and the bar. And ended up promising Neal that he could meet Lady sometimes.

Once the food was eaten, and Snow and David was preparing the desert, Emma and Regina went outside on the porch to get some air.

Regina seemed perfectly calm, and, Emma suddenly noticed something.

,,You aren't smoking."

,,No. I'm trying to stop. It's a nasty habit."

,,I think my parents adore you," Emma grinned.

,,And why shouldn't they?" Regina chuckled and surprised the blonde by wrapping an arm around her.

,,You suddenly seem so calm about this," Emma pointed out. ,,What changed?"

,,Well, for starters, I got tired of running away.."

,,And secondly?"

,, _Secondly_ , I had a little chat with our son," Regina confessed with a grin. ,,He convinced me that I had nothing to be afraid of, and obviously, he was right."

,,We have a clever son."

,,Are you only realizing that now, miss Swan?"

Emma sighted contented and took Regina's hand. It was still hard to wrap her head around that this was her life now.

 _Is this the calm after the storm?_

 **To Be Continued?**


	40. Chapter 40

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 40:**

Emma woke up by rustling and bustling nearby. Opening her eyes, she realized that Regina was in the process of abandoning the warm bed.

,,No," the blonde half whined. ,,Stay." She grabbed Regina's wrist in an attempt to make her stay.

Regina sighed deeply. ,,Miss Swan, I have things to attend to."

,,No you don't. It's Wednesday. You always meet late on Wednesdays," Emma said triumphantly.

,,True. But what's the point in staying in bed if you're already awake?" Regina retorted.

,,The way I see it," Emma said as she pulled Regina back into the bed. ,,There are so many good reasons to stay a little longer."

,,Give me one good reason then, dear."

,,Well," Emma snuggled closer to the brunette. ,,There's cuddling for instance. Very important."

,,I don't think I'm very good at that," Regina commented.

,,Lucky for you, _I_ am," Emma grinned and wrapped an arm around Regina.

,,Yes, I.. Suppose you are," Regina replied as she finally relaxed into the touch. The situation seemed completely unfamiliar to her, and it occurred to Emma, that the brunette wasn't very adapted or used to _cuddling_.

 _Time to change that_.

Emma snuggled even closer and wrapped her arms firmly around Regina and pulled her into her arms.

,,You are a bit clingy." Regina stated.

,,Am I?"

,,Yes."

,,I thought I was _hostile_ ," Emma sniggered and recalled that night in Seattle when she had stumbled upon a not-quite-sober-Roni.

,,You pulled a gun at me, miss Swan."

,,Well, you scared me. As I recall, you _whistled_ at me."

,,You whistled first," Regina rebutted.

Emma didn't comment on that. Instead she said: ,,You should whistle more often."

,,I beg your pardon?" Regina chuckled.

,,You _should_. It's kinda... hot."

,,And you are "kinda" strange, miss Swan."

,,Be nice," Emma warned.

,,I don't know what that means."

That made Emma snigger and she pressed a light kiss to the nape of Regina's neck. The brunette immediately squirmed.

,,Ticklish, Madam Mayor?"

,,I'm getting out of bed," Regina snipped and tried to free herself from Emma's grasp. ,,Let go of me."

,,Nope," Emma grinned. ,,You are staying right here."

,,Am I?"

,,Yes, I do believe you are," Emma drawled. She knew exactly how to make Regina stay a little longer. She had the perfect weapon. And now seemed like the perfect time to use it. She loosened her grip just a little and crept closer to plant a soft kiss on the side of Regina's neck.

Regina immediately quit struggling and relaxed once more. Emma soon took the opportunity to climb on top of her and dip down to kiss her throat more throughout.

,,What are you up to?" Regina smirked.

,,Well," Emma drawled. ,,I am "up to" extending our morning a little. Would that be alright with you?"

,,Just what kind of question is _that_?"

,,I knew you would see it that way-hey!" Emma interrupted herself when Regina suddenly flipped them over so she was the one on top.

,,What?" Regina chuckled and played with a lock of Emma's hair. ,,Don't act as you mind being in this position, _Em-_ ma."

Emma really couldn't argue with that. And even if she could, she wouldn't be able to right now. Her brain turned to mush every time Regina said her name like that, and her words seemed to stick in her throat.

Regina chuckled and brushed a light kiss to Emma's cheek, then her jaw, and finally her neck.

Now Emma's mind was really going fuzzy, and she found herself unable to do anything besides breathing shallowly.

,,Listen to that," Regina commented and put her hand over Emma's heart. ,,Is there something the matter with your heart, my dear? You sound a little out of breath."

,,Wonder why," Emma retorted sarcastically as Regina opened the first button in her nightshirt. ,,Little hard to not when you are doing _that_."

,,Hmm. Still, one can never be _too_ sure," Regina said completely serious as she opened the rest of the buttons and threw Emma's nightshirt on the floor.

Emma shuddered when the brunette ran her fingers up and down her ribcage. And obviously, the blonde's heart chose this moment to speed up.

,,Now you're really starting to worry me," Regina commented nonchalantly and put her hand over Emma's heart again. ,,Are you _sure_ you're alright?"

,,No," Emma said dead serious. ,,I won't be alright until you kiss me."

,,Anything for you, duckling."

 _That pet-name again_. Emma could have chosen this moment to call Regina out and tell her that her "Roni was showing", but suddenly her lips were otherwise engaged, and any thought about teasing was completely lost when Regina's hands travelled up further.

Who could think about _anything_ right now? Regina's hands and lips were better than any forgetting potion. One touch, and Emma suddenly forgot the world around her, even her own name. Emma once again wondered just where the hell she had been these past six years. If only she had known how _good_ things could be between them,

,,I think you are thinking too much, miss Swan," Regina said softly, and Emma blinked. How the hell could she know?

,,I think I want you," Emma shot back and squeezed her legs together. There was some pretty unbearable throbbing happening.

,,Really?" Regina said with feigned surprised and slipped a hand between the blonde's legs.

,,Don't- _guhh_ \- force me to take matters into my own hand!"

,,I wouldn't dream of it," Regina assured.

Emma didn't know whether she used magic, or were just _very, very, good with her fingers_ , but either way, Regina did _something_ that made the blonde's panties vanish in thin air.

 _Ohh yes_! Their quiet, cuddly morning had been replaced with a burning, hot paradise, and Emma wasn't complaining one bit. Screw everything else, she was more than willing to spend every day for the rest of her life in this position.

It didn't take Regina long to bring Emma right up on that precipice, and Emma tried to show some restrain. She didn't need to scream Regina's name that all of Storybrooke could hear it.

But her attempt to "show restrain" didn't seem to work as planned. Regina looked positively wolfish when Emma finally came down from her height and opened her eyes again.

,,It seems like you were correct."

,,Huh?" Emma said, still rather dazed.

,,Your heart is working perfectly."

,,Oh."

,,And so is your voice."

,,Aren't you witty this morning," Emma half snipped, but her attempt at scowling didn't quite work.

Regina smirked and looked very pleased with herself, an expression which normal would have annoyed the hell out of Emma, but obviously not tomorrow. The brunette elegantly slipped into a bathrobe and hopped out of bed.

,,You're leaving?" Emma asked, and couldn't quite help be disappointed.

,,If I didn't leave, I wouldn't be able to come back would I?" Regina answered half way into the bathroom.

Emma was just about to retort that Regina's logic didn't make sense in any way, when her phone buzzed. The blonde searched through the bedroom drawer and found her phone. Then she sighed. It was Killian. He asked if it would be okay for him to stop by later and pick up the rest of his stuff. Emma quickly texted him back and told him yes.

 _Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later_. There were still a few of Killian's things in the house. A couple of leather jackets, and Emma wanted to give him the engagement ring back too. There was no reason to hang on to that. She had already taken it off weeks ago.

Emma sighed again as she got dressed in a pair of jeans and a shirt. She had absolutely no second thoughts about her relationship with Regina. But she wasn't in the mood to discuss it with her ex-husband. She didn't want the divorce to get ugly in any way.

Emma went downstairs. Maybe she could coax Regina into staying for breakfast today. They were still working on that. The brunette was more than willing to spend the night with Emma, but the mornings, well… Regina _was_ getting better, and she wasn't as jumpy anymore, and she wasn't running from Snow and David anymore, but she still had some trouble relaxing. "I'm not used to things being like this between you and I," as she told Emma, and the blonde was patient. She was willing to give Regina all the time in the world. Anything she wanted.

,,Is everything okay?" Regina asked as she came into the kitchen, bathed and still with slightly wet hair.

,,Killian is stopping by later to pick up the rest of his stuff." Emma said as nonchalantly as possible, but the brunette's face still fell a little and her voice was only a whisper when she said: ,,I see."

,,Hey," Emma said and quickly crossed the floor to wrap an arm around Regina. She really didn't want this to turn into a new guilt trip for Regina.

,,I choose this myself, remember? You didn't come between us."

Regina raised an eyebrow. She clearly wasn't convinced.

,,You _didn't_." Emma insisted. ,,You stayed away from me. I was the one who couldn't continue with Killian after what happened in Seattle."

Regina scoffed. ,,Stop pinning the guilt on yourself, Emma. I'm equally as guilty as you. If it hadn't been for.."

,,The curse," Emma interrupted. ,,You're right. If we hadn't been cursed, I would never have realized how crazy beautiful and amazing you are."

Regina's lips curled into a smile. ,,You are an idiot."

,,Says the woman who's smiling like one," Emma retorted gently, and then: ,,Are you staying for breakfast?"

,,I'm afraid I can't," Regina said and shook her head. ,,I promised Zelena, so.."

,,Will I see you later then?"

,,Maybe," Regina said almost coyly and shrugged.

,,You are such a tease."

,,And you are still clinging to me," Regina observed as she gently freed herself from Emma's grasp.

,,I will walk you out," Emma said and followed Regina into the hall.

,,Afraid I'll get lost? I hate to break it to you, dear, but your house isn't _that_ big," Regina grinned as Emma gallantly opened the front door for her.

Emma was about to throw a teasing answer at the brunette, when she realized that Snow was standing on the porch.

 _Good god, is my mother everywhere these days_?

Regina flinched, but only for five seconds when she spotted Snow. ,,Good morning."

,,Good morning," Snow smiled.

Regina glanced at her watch. ,,I better get going. I'm running late."

,,You don't have to leave just because…" Snow didn't finish the sentence.

,,No, no, I have an appointment with Zelena. See you later, Emma."

,,Yeah."

Regina flashed Snow a smile and then she took Emma's hand and squeezed it for a second before she left.

Emma didn't realize she was watching her walk away until Snow quietly cleared her throat and brought the blonde back to reality.

,,You would tell me if you were moving in together, right?"

,,What?" Emma blinked. ,,We're not…"

,,Just checking," Snow shrugged.

,,We are just dating," Emma squeaked. ,,We have only known each other for.."

,,Six years." Snow finished her daughters sentence. ,,That's a long time."

,,Right. We've known each other for six years. And only been friends for what, four of them?" Emma corrected. ,,There's no reason to rush things."

,,I wasn't trying to," Snow assured. ,,You just seem very happy, that's all."

,,And I am," Emma confirmed. ,,We have a good thing going, but we are taking things slow. One day at the time."

,,That sounds very sensible."

,,Mhmm."

Emma still wasn't mentally prepared when Killian showed up a few hours later. Their meeting was awkward to say the least, but he wasn't hostile towards her in any way. He was quiet, and looked like he had been living of rum the past weeks. Emma felt sorry for him. She didn't have feelings for him anymore, but she still wished for him to be happy. To find love.

Once he had gathered all of his things, Emma silently handed him the engagement ring he had given her.

,,So this is it, Swan?" he asked quietly when he took the ring.

Emma nodded. _I'm so sorry_.

Killian sighed. ,,I hope she appreciates you, Swan."

Emma didn't answer, and she didn't ask him how he could know that she and Regina were together now. It wasn't like they had flaunted it around in town.

,,What are you gonna do now?" she asked instead.

Killian shrugged. ,,There's nothing that ties me to Storybrooke any longer, and I still have my ship, so I think I will go on a little journey. Maybe I will even be happy someday."

,,I wish you all the best."

,,And I, you, Swan." He said and took her hand. ,,Give my best to the lad."

,,I will."

And just like that, he left. No goodbyes, no attempts to talk her out of it. Just silence. Emma exhaled slowly, she didn't realize she had been holding her breath. Everything about this felt so final. Like she was free. Like the next chapter was right around the corner.

Emma looked at her hand. There was a light spot where her wedding ring used to sit on her finger. The blonde wiggled her finger. Strange. Once upon a time, all she wanted was to be Killian's wife and live a quiet life behind a white picket fence. Well, the part with living a quiet life behind a white picket fence hadn't changed, but the person she wanted to be with, certainly had. And all because a duckling with ruffled feathers went into a bar and met a bartender who moved the earth and sky completely.

Emma got a strong urge to see Regina, and she didn't think twice before she threw on her coat and jumped into her yellow bug.

She quickly reached the mansion. Hopefully Regina was working from home. She would be surprised to see Emma, they hadn't made any agreements today. Oh well, Emma didn't expect Regina to throw her out.

The blonde suddenly heard footsteps, and she turned around to come face to face with something as normal as a mail man. Or, more specifically, a mail _woman_. Apparently, Robyn had got an afternoon job.

,,Is that for Regina?" Emma asked and gestured to the letter Robyn was holding.

,,Yeah."

,,I can take it. I'm going in anyway."

,,Oh. Thanks, Emma." Robyn grinned and handed Emma the letter.

,,See you later, kiddo."

Emma opened the gate and walked up the pathway to Regina's house. She was about to knock on the door when she noticed the seal on the letter. The blonde stopped abruptly in her tracks. She couldn't quite read where the letter was stamped, because it was all smudged out, but the seal on the envelope didn't leave any doubt in Emma's mind. It was definitely from an adoption agency.

 **To Be Continued…?**


	41. Chapter 41

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 41:**

Emma weighed the letter in her hand. It felt quite heavy. She found it highly unlikely that Henry was enrolled in some sort of program for adopted adults, plus this letter was addressed to Regina. Which could only mean one thing in Emma's mind.

 _But she would have told me if she was planning on adopting again, wouldn't she_?

Emma couldn't for the life of her imagine why Regina wouldn't have told her about this. Even before they started "seeing each other", they were still friends. Close friends. Regina had no reason to keep this a secret.

Emma continued her walk up to Regina's mansion and knocked on the door.

No answer.

Maybe Regina was out or working in the office today. Hmm. Maybe Emma should stop by her office instead.

No, wait. She heard noise from inside, and knocked one more time. This time she heard Regina say "come in", so Emma opened the front door and went inside.

Regina is nowhere to be found, so Emma checked both the kitchen and the living room. In the living room she finds something that throws her off completely. "Roni's" camera is lying on the coffee table. Emma momentarily forgets everything about the mysterious letter and puts it away. The last time she saw this camera was in "Roni's" apartment in Seattle. She had no idea that Regina had brought it back with her.

Emma switched the camera on and grinned broadly. Regina hasn't deleted anything. Every last picture is still there. The blonde's smile grew bigger as she scrolled through the pictures. There are an endless number of pictures of herself, quite a few of Lady, and then, finally of the owner of the camera. Or, sort of at least. Roni smiling overbearingly to the camera, Roni raising a shot glass and smirking. There are actually quite a few of Roni drinking. _That woman liked her alcohol_. Roni with her beloved and "not-very-secret-stuffed-away-behind-the-counter-beer". And finally, Emma found the pictures she wanted to see the most. The ones of herself and Roni. Regina might not be a denim clad, beer drinking bartender anymore, but the smile on her face is exactly the same as the ones she has been flashing Emma lately.

 _This is definitely the smile of a happy woman. No doubt about it_. And Emma in the pictures looks very happy as well, with an arm around Roni's waist. It occurs to Emma that she looks so much younger in these pictures.

,,You know, sometimes I miss her."

Emma yelped and nearly dropped the camera.

,,Careful," Regina admonished ,,That is an expensive camera."

,,I suppose that's why you kept it," Emma half teased and squinted at the brunette. _Don't sneak up on me like that_!

,,Not really," Regina shrugged. ,,I happen to like the pictures."

,,I might have nicked a few of the pictures in the camera bag," Emma confessed.

,,I know."

,,You.. do?" Emma blinked. ,,How did you..?"

,,I noticed they were gone when I opened the bag, and who else besides you would have taken them?"

,,You never mentioned anything about it. Weren't you angry that I had them?"

Regina smiled a little. ,,You were, and are entitled to your memories, miss Swan."

Emma couldn't quite understand Regina's tone, but she definitely sounded a little off.

 _Please don't let her have seconds thoughts about this_.

,,Are you upset?" Emma asked quietly, already dreading the answer.

But Regina smiled again, this time a more genuine smile, and planted a light kiss on Emma's forehead. ,,No. But it will take a while for me to not feel guilty about… well, everything."

,,You do know that feeling guilty is completely irrational, right?"

Regina shrugged.

,,I wanted this," Emma reminded her again. ,,I want _you_."

,,As I said, you are strange."

,,There is nothing strange about being in love with you," Emma rebutted.

Regina's smile grew wider.

,,We ought to frame some of these," Emma commented and motioned to the pictures on the camera screen.

,,You nicked the best ones already," Regina deadpanned and chuckled when Lady yapped from her basket in the corner.

,,I could give them back to you and we could have them framed?" Emma suggested.

,,How very domestic," was Regina's only comment.

,,So? I basically lived with you in Seattle," Emma said with a smug smile.

,,That you did. It was very nice."

Emma tilted her head. Suddenly the thought of moving out of her ridiculously large house didn't seem completely mad, and judging by how Regina was looking at her, the brunette seemed to think the same. Or at least Emma hoped she did.

Regina didn't say anything for a while, but Emma could see that she was thinking about something. Her hand kept wandering towards her pocket. Weaning off the cigarettes was difficult.

Emma took her hand, but that didn't seem to bring the brunette back. ,,Where are you right now?"

,,I'm following a train of thoughts," Regina answered.

,,Okay." Emma waited.

Regina didn't say anything, and Emma couldn't help but grow impatient.

,,Am I on that train?" the blonde asked, hopeful.

,,Of course you are. _Duh_ ," Regina teased lightly.

,,First joking and now using my own words against me? Nice." Emma complimented.

Regina didn't seem fazed by the compliment. ,,I miss Seattle," she sighed.

,,What?"

,,I don't mean the _curse_ ," Regina explained. ,,But I miss the simplicity. Things weren't so ridiculously complicated there."

,,I get it," Emma nodded. ,,But things don't have to be difficult here, you know."

,,I think they already are. You went from being happily married to wanting something completely else rather sudden."

,,Or maybe I've wanted you all along and it took me a smaller curse to realize it." Emma deadpanned.

Regina chuckled, and Emma was relieved to pull her out of her melancholia once again.

,,You know, I wouldn't say no," Emma said gently.

,,Pardon?"

,,When you ask me to move in with you. The answer will be yes." Emma promised.

Regina smiled. ,,Well, who knows. Maybe someday I will pluck up the courage to ask you."

Emma grinned.

,,And that's enough serious talk for today," Regina said rather sudden and rose from the couch. Half way into the kitchen, she turned around: ,,But yes, we should definitely frame those pictures you stole from me."

,,Speaking of _stealing stuff_ , Madam Mayor.."

,,Mhmm?"

,,You have my swan pendant," Emma accused.

,,Yes I do," Regina chuckled and didn't even try to deny it.

,,Can I have it back?"

,,No, I don't think so."

,,Okay.. And why not exactly?" Emma questioned and followed the brunette (and Lady) into the kitchen.

,,Because I want to hang on to it." Regina said matter of factly.

,,But it's mine," Emma pointed out.

,,What's yours is mine."

,,Oh, very clever," Emma huffed. ,,Seriously though, why can't I have it back?"

,,It's important to you?" Regina asked plainly.

,,Well.." Emma stopped for a moment. Neal was the one who gave her the jewel, and she had kept it with her as a sweet little keepsake for a long time now, but….

,,I guess it isn't," she shrugged. ,,It's kinda old and worn out, but it represents me, so…"

,,You are not old and worn out."

Emma grinned. ,,I meant the swan. Not the old and worn out part."

,,Oh." Regina pursed her lips and frowned. ,,Well, in that case.."

,,What?" Emma asked and raised an eyebrow.

Regina didn't answer. She simply snapped her fingers once.

Emma started as a necklace with a very beautiful swan pendant appeared in her palm. _Did she just give me a new swan_?

,,Consider yourself represented, miss Swan."

Emma looked at the pendant. It was nothing like her old necklace, but it still appealed to her, it looked kinda vintage, and the swan was very beautiful and detailed.

 _Holy shit, is that gold_?!

,,Why are you giving me this?" Emma asked and immediately felt kinda lame.

,,Because you're never getting your old one back. And you said it represented you. So, there you have it. A swan for a swan."

 _I think I love her_. _Wait what_?! _Easy there, Swan_.

,,Put it on for me," Emma challenged.

Regina raised an eyebrow. ,,Too delicate for you, miss Swan?" but she nevertheless went over to Emma and snatched the jewelry from her hand. In a manner of seconds she had fastened it around Emma's neck. ,,There. That wasn't very difficult, but of course, if you are all thumbs then I can only imagine…"

,,I think both of us know that I am not _all thumbs_ , Madam Mayor." Emma said and grinned shamelessly, she could have sworn that Regina blushed a little.

,,I didn't appreciate that remark."

Emma ignored her. ,,Thank you for the necklace."

,,You are most welcome, my dear." Regina rubbed the blonde's shoulder and dropped a light kiss on the side of her neck.

Emma shuddered. _Is it too early to go upstairs_?

Regina chuckled. ,,You do know you are unable to hide your reactions from me, right?"

Emma simply spun around and kissed the brunette. _To hell with timing_. _To hell with doing anything else_.

But Regina didn't appear to be thinking the same. She only returned the kiss for a moment before chuckling and then pushing Emma away. ,,I appreciate your _gratitude_ , miss Swan. But I was actually working."

,,And if I told you that this is better than working?"

,,Then I would agree with you, but it wouldn't change the fact that I'm the Mayor and is rather busy today."

,,This was so much easier when you were owning a bar that didn't open until late at night."

,,I agree. But, alas..."

Emma pouted. There were too many interruptions between their kissing sessions. The nights were simply too short, and Emma felt she was getting tired way too soon. A damn shame she needed that much sleep.

Regina laughed at the expression on Emma's face and gave her forehead another light kiss. ,,Shouldn't you be at work, miss Swan?"

Emma was brought back to reality by that. _The letter. The letter from the adoption agency. That's the reason why I knocked on the door in the first place. How could I even forget that_?! _Jesus Christ, I'm easily distracted_.

,,Emma?" Regina interrupted her train of thoughts.

,,I met Robyn on my way here, and I offered to give you the letter she had for you. It looked kinda important," Emma yapped off quickly.

,,A letter?" Regina laughed again, a deep, rich sound. ,,You stopped by to hand deliver me a letter I could easily have collected from my mailbox?"

 _No, actually I came here to tell you that Killian is gone, but that can wait_.

,,The letter looked important," Emma repeated and fiddled with her new necklace.

,,Where is it then?" Regina asked, still looking slightly amused.

,,I left it on the coffee table."

Regina shot Emma another amused glance and murmured something about her being strange as she strode back into the living room.

Emma trailed after her and watched how Regina picked the letter up. The brunette stared at the seal on the envelope for a moment, and Emma saw how her expression changed from playful to serious and she muttered a quiet: ,,Oh."

 **To Be Continued?**

((Guys, I'm so thrilled you like this story. I was honest to god gonna keep it as a tiny little story with no happy ending, but you guys changed that. I'm beyond honored that you like this humble story. #SwanQueen lives no matter what!))


	42. Chapter 42

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 42:**

,,I completely forgot everything about that," Regina said quietly.

,,It's from an adoption agency," Emma pointed out.

,,So I see."

,,Is it about Henry?" Emma asked.

,,Not exactly."

,,Then what?"

Regina fiddled with the envelope and muttered more to herself than to Emma: ,,God, how did I manage to forget this? That is just so…"

,,What is going _on_?" Emma asked, growing more confused by the second.

Regina weighed the envelope in her hand and then said: ,,Before Henry contacted us and we went to the Enchanted Forest to help him, I was actually considering adopting.. again."

,,Considering?" Emma repeated and eyed the thick envelope.

,,Okay, more than considered."

,,You never mentioned that to any of us."

Regina sighed. ,,I didn't want to worry you."

,,What do you mean?"

,,All those _happy endings_ happening in Storybrooke, well… I didn't feel particularly happy."

Emma gaped. All those times she and her parents had met up with Regina had left her with the impression that the brunette was quite contend, but here Regina was, telling her the complete opposite.

Regina quickly patted Emma's knee. ,,I'm not asking you to beat yourself up about not seeing it, dear. I'm an excellent actress."

,,But.. why?" Emma said, not fully aware what she was asking Regina right now, but Regina seemed to know.

,,It happened shortly after Henry left Storybrooke. At first, I tried to ignore it, and of course I was delighted that he was growing up and seeking his own adventures, but…"

,,You missed being a mother," Emma finished the sentence, fully getting what Regina was saying.

,,Yes. And in a way, I still do. Which is terrible because Henry is home again."

,,It's not terrible, Regina. Not at all."

Regina put the unopened letter on the coffee table again. ,,Adopting Henry was without a doubt the best thing I have ever done, being his mother saved me, so when he took off I felt completely lost."

Emma took the brunette's hand. ,,Why didn't you tell me this?"

Regina shrugged. ,,You were happy. Everyone was. I couldn't ruin that."

,,God damn it, Regina."

,,Speaking up when I'm upset isn't my biggest talent," Regina admitted. ,,I thought if I didn't say anything, the feeling would go away."

,,But it didn't. It got worse," Emma said. The brunette hadn't said that, but she didn't need to. The answer was practically staring Emma in the face.

Regina nodded and looked around in the mansion. ,,The house was so big and so empty when I came home at night. And Henry's room was just staring at me every time I passed it."

,,You were lonely." Emma was immediately overcome by guilt. How could she not have seen this? Had she really been that busy playing house with Killian?

,,Yes, I guess I was," Regina nodded. ,,It was one late night where I couldn't sleep that the thought of adoption came to me. At first, I balked. Having another child seemed like complete madness. Eventually, I fell asleep, but when I woke up the next morning, the thought still lingered. And after a while it grew on me, and I considered it so much that I ended up contacting an adoption agency." The brunette's eyes darted towards the envelope on the table."

,,So why didn't you tell us then?"

,,I wasn't sure if it were even possible. There were several things that could go wrong, the agency could see through the lies I had to make up, or they could think I was too old to adopt again."

,,You, old? Never." Emma said firmly, and earned a tiny smile from Regina before she continued her tale:

,,But then Henry's message about him being in trouble arrived, and obviously I dropped everything to help him."

,,Of course you did."

,,And we all know what happened afterwards. The new curse hit and shipped us all of to Hyperion Heights, so can you honestly blame me for forgetting about this?"

,,Not really."

Regina sat quietly for a while and looked at the letter on the coffee table. She was still holding on to Emma's hand, but the blonde had no idea what she was thinking right now.

,,Henry actually wanted me to come along with him."

,,What?"

,,Before the new curse hit, and right before you and Killian were about to return home to Storybrooke, he asked me to come with him on his journey. I think he could tell that I was unhappy."

,,And what… would you have answered him?" Emma asked quietly.

,,I would probably have said yes. I felt like my time in Storybrooke was over, so maybe it would have been good for me to move on."

,,And now?"

Regina gave Emma's hand a soft squeeze. ,,Now I have a very good reason to stay in Storybrooke."

 _Thank god_.

,,But you still miss being a mother." Emma said, and it wasn't a question as much as it was a stating a fact.

Regina shrugged. ,,Henry is home again. I'm sure I will get over it."

,,And if you don't?"

,,Emma, we have a granddaughter. My main focus should be on spoiling her, adopting a child right now would be egoistic of me."

,,A grandchild is not the same thing is having a child of your own."

,,No, but it's close to. I am lucky that I get to watch her grow up, that's good enough for me."

,,There's nothing selfish about wanting to adopt again, Regina. Sure, we have a granddaughter, and Lucy is great, but at the end of the day, she will always go home with Henry and Ella."

,,As grandchildren should do."

,,So you're telling me that you are satisfied with hanging out with our granddaughter every weekend and enjoy Sunday dinner with Henry, our adult son who doesn't need us as much as he used to?"

,,Are you trying to make me upset, dear? Because you are doing a fine job," Regina warned and shifted on the couch.

,,I'm not trying to make you upset," Emma assured and reached out and snatched the letter from the coffee table. ,,I'm trying to get you to open this letter."

,,I'm not gonna do that."

,,Why not?"

Regina looked at Emma like she was incredibly stupid. ,,Well, recently you turned my world upside down, and I'm still trying to get used to this change, and figure things out. I don't think I need another change in my life right now."

,,That doesn't seem very fair to me," Emma said and stood from the couch, putting a hand on her hip. ,,You shouldn't deny yourself this just because of me."

Regina stood from the couch as well. ,,I'm not denying myself anything because of you, Emma. I'm trying to wrap my head around this new situation. I never expected to fall in love again. And certainly not with you."

,,There's an insult in there somewhere," Emma muttered.

,,Wasn't my intention."

,,Insults aside," Emma said and brushed Regina's words off. ,,You have to open that letter."

,,It's probably just a "thank you for applying" note." Regina half-snipped and turned her back on Emma and the letter.

,,Right. And if it isn't?" Emma pressed.

,,Don't be ridiculous."

,,What if there actually is a child waiting for you to be his or her mother?"

,,That's not fair, Emma."

,,No, what isn't fair, Regina, is that you insist upon denying yourself this just because you are afraid of what other people might think."

,,That's a lie."

,,Is it?"

,,Yes!"

,,Prove it," Emma challenged and silently wondered how much she could push Regina without earning herself a fireball in the face. Or a slap. Or both.

,,How?"

,,Open the letter," Emma said quietly and shoved the unopened letter into Regina's hand.

Regina shook her head stubbornly. ,,No. I can't."

,,Of course you can," Emma insisted.

Regina shot her one last irritated look before she ripped the envelope apart and unfolded the letter.

Emma waited patiently as Regina read the letter. She had not foreseen this new twist, but she knew that no matter what that letter said, it wouldn't change anything between her and Regina. Not if it were up to her at least.

Regina's eyes quickly scanned the page, and then she looked up at Emma.

,,Well?" Emma asked carefully.

Regina simply handed Emma the letter without answering her.

Emma quickly read the letter, and she congratulated herself with sounding completely normal as she said: ,,There's a little girl waiting for you."

,,It would seem so."

,,Is that all you have to say?"

,,What do you want me to say?" Regina replied tiredly. ,,The situation is completely different now. Henry is home, our _granddaughter_ here."

,,I'm fairly certain Lucy would love having a little baby to play with."

,,That's neither here nor there."

Emma pursed her lips. She was fairly certain that neither Lucy or Henry was the real problem. And if her suspicion was correct, she knew exactly what to say.

,,We should go and get her."

,,Who?"

,,The kid. The little girl. We should go and get her?"

,,We?"

,,It wouldn't be the first time we've co-parented a child."

,,You are mad," Regina said and looked like she wanted to laugh.

,,What's so mad about that?"

,,Emma, you are suggesting that we adopt a child _together_ ," Regina said very, very slowly and stressed out every word.

,,I know."

Regina gaped at her. ,,This is hardly the way you imagined to start a family."

,,No it isn't," Emma agreed. ,,But it's the only way I _want_ to start a family."

,,Are you serious?"

,,Dead serious," Emma assured. ,,So, what are you saying?"

 **To Be Continued?**


	43. Chapter 43

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 43:**

,,I'm saying that that is one of the craziest suggestions I have ever heard in my entire life," Regina said, but she was smiling all the same.

,,I'm pretty sure that's not true," Emma retorted.

Regina muttered something that sounded like "even madder than I thought".

,,Hey, I heard that," Emma half warned and narrowed her eyes at the brunette.

,,You actually want us to adopt a child together."

,,Yes."

,,After five minutes of dating?"

,,We've dated for almost three months. Not five minutes."

,,Seattle doesn't count."

,,Yes it does," Emma said stubbornly.

,,No it doesn't. We weren't... ourselves."

Emma opened her mouth to protest, but Regina beat her to it:

,,I'm not trying to down play what happened in Seattle, dear. I'm just saying that this is a bit different."

 _Different. Okay. I can work with different_.

,,Do you remember how you asked me if we had met before?" Regina asked and interrupted Emma's thoughts.

,,Yeah. I sure do. I was sure I had seen you somewhere," Emma grinned at the memory.

,,I actually felt the same," Regina confessed and drew a lock of dark hair behind her ear. ,,I remember keeping myself awake for most of the night while I tried to remember where the hell I had seen you before."

Emma chuckled. ,,Is it bad that I'm grateful we were cursed?"

,,Yes," Regina said immediately and frowned.

But Emma could still see that little smile lurking in the corner of her mouth.

,,Okay, so it wasn't all bad," Regina surrendered, ,,but still, there are certain things I wish didn't happen."

,,What?"

,,I'm sure you don't want to know," Regina said, and now she was actually frowning. ,,Let's just say that good old Roni lived an _interesting_ life."

 _Fuck, what does that mean_? _I'm intrigued_. The image of Lila, the bargirl the blonde had been so terrible jealous off, suddenly popped up in Emma's head. And to her surprise, she found that she was actually still a bit jealous.

Regina didn't seem to notice what that little slice of information had done to the blonde, she just picked up the letter from the adoption agency. ,,You actually want to do this."

,,Yes I do," Emma replied, snapping out of her ridiculous jealousy. ,,I know it seems a bit rash, but think about it. You and me raising a kid together. I mean, we're good at parenting, and the next step has to happen at one point, right?"

,,Usually the next step is moving in together or something less dramatic than adopting a child."

,,I agree, it's a bit unconventional," Emma nodded. ,,But when are things _not_ unconventional in Storybrooke?"

Regina chuckled. ,,I guess you're right about that."

,,Was that a yes?" Emma grinned hopeful.

,,That was a "give me a few hours to figure out how to explain this to your parents"," Regina deadpanned.

As sarcastic as she looked, Emma couldn't help but chuckle. Regina hadn't said no. That was the only thing that really mattered. Emma didn't give two shits about it being sudden or soon, this was the family she wanted. Just the thought of having a kid with Regina made her stomach do flip flops.

And then she noticed that Regina had left the couch and now was leaning against the doorframe, staring at her.

,,What?" Emma asked.

,,You are dawdling."

,,What?" Emma repeated.

,,You came to deliver a letter, and you've been here for two hours," Regina said flatly.

,,Oh," Emma squeaked. Regina had a point, but leaving was getting harder and harder.

,,I was thinking about eating at Granny's tonight, I don't feel like cooking. Maybe you want to come along?" Regina said completely nonchalantly.

,,Is that a date?"

,,Do you want it to be?" Regina shot back and raised an eyebrow.

,,Absolutely."

,,Then I guess it's a date," Regina said and frowned a little at the word. Like it was completely foreign on her tongue.

,,You really aren't used to dating, are you?" Emma asked softly as she put her leather jacket on.

Regina shrugged. ,,Lack of experience. I'm sure I will learn it. Some day."

Emma still found it a bit strange. Regina Mills, queen of sass and witty comebacks didn't know how to do something as simple as _date_ someone. But then again, she kinda understood what Regina meant. The only one in Regina's life had been Robin, and Emma doubted that they had ever had the time to go on a date. That thought filled Emma's mouth with a foul taste. Despite it being years ago, she could still remember the look on Regina's face when Robin was buried. She had looked so empty. So _tired_. Emma silently vowed right there and then to make sure Regina would never look like that again.

,,Hey."

Her thoughts were interrupted when Regina gently cupped her face, and Emma blinked.

,,Where did you go, miss Swan?" Regina asked. ,,You looked like you were millions of miles away."

,,I'm right here," Emma assured and took the opportunity of how close Regina was to lean in and kiss her. _Honestly, I'm taking all the opportunities I can get_.

Regina chuckled a little and returned the kiss, and Emma knew it was only a matter of seconds before the brunette would grin and push her away with a remark about her being eager or something like that, so Emma wrapped an arm around Regina's waist to pull her closer. Anything to prolong the kiss just a little.

,,Emma." Regina muttered a little hoarsely into the kiss.

,,Mhmm? What?" Emma half-slurred. She wasn't keen on talking right now.

,,This isn't dinner." Regina stated plainly.

,,No," Emma sniggered. ,,But it's nice."

,,Very," Regina agreed as she broke the kiss- too soon!- ,,But I'm hungry."

So was Emma. Not really after food, but she really couldn't say that.

,,Come on," Regina half-chuckled. Maybe she knew what Emma was thinking.

And Emma followed the brunette out of the mansion.

Reaching Granny's Diner and going inside, Emma suddenly realized that this was the first time they were "out" in public. And Granny's Diner was packed with all kinds of familiar faces, including Henry and Ella with Lucy and Zelena chatting on with some of the dwarves.

,,Do you realize that we are having dinner in public?" Emma grinned conspiratorially to Regina who rolled her dark eyes.

,,Yes, shocking, isn't it?" the brunette retorted flatly.

,,I thought you weren't too keen on that yet."

Regina lowered her voice. ,,We just talked about adopting a child together, Emma. I think our plan about taking things slow went out of the window there."

Emma grinned. She felt childishly happy about being out in public with Regina. Of course, she had been willing to wait until Regina got over whatever internal battle she was fighting, and she hadn't been expecting things to proceed that fast. It was almost a bit symbolical, if you believed in that, the same day Killian left for good, was the day Regina and she went out in public for the first time.

,,What are you thinking about?" Regina asked.

Emma found that she asked that a lot. Maybe she had just as much trouble reading Emma as the blonde had reading Regina.

,,I'm thinking that I am sickeningly happy," Emma replied. _I sound like a teenager_.

,,I think you are a bit sentimental, miss Swan," Regina said and shot Emma an amused glance.

,,Possibly," Emma shrugged and fiddled with her newly given swan pendant. She wasn't actually a jewelry type person, but damn, she loved this necklace. _Yeah, I'm most likely gonna wear it every day_.

,,What will you have?" Regina interrupted.

,,What?"

,, _Dinner_ , Emma. What will you have for dinner?" Regina articulated slowly as Granny came over to their table to take their order.

,,Oh. Uh… a burger."

,,Two burgers then." Regina said to Granny who didn't bat an eye.

But Emma did, and as soon as Granny left, the blonde said: ,,Seriously? You're eating burgers now? I haven't seen that since…"

,,Seattle," Regina finished the sentence. ,,Old habits die hard. Roni ruined me."

,,Yeah, me too," Emma grinned shamelessly and earned a stern glance from Regina.

Watching Regina eat a burger was quite entertaining, the brunette ate it like her life depended on it, and she was done when Emma was half way through her burger.

,,Have you even eaten today?" Emma questioned.

,,Of course I have," Regina dismissed.

Emma suspected the opposite, and made a mental note to herself about reminding Regina to eat.

The little bell above Granny's Diner jingled, and Emma looked up and saw her parents step inside.

Snow and David quickly spotted them sitting there, and Emma saw her mother lean in and whisper something to David.

 _Sometimes my parents act like I'm still a teenager_. Emma knew that David and Mary Margaret couldn't help it, but still, sometimes she felt like she and Regina were being monitored.

,,When your mother said she wished for me to become a part of her family, I don't think she meant like this," Regina said dead seriously.

Emma almost spit out half of her water when she spluttered. She coughed and still laughed while she tried to clear her throat.

,,Charming," Regina quipped and raised an eyebrow.

,,Are you comparing me to my father again?" Emma sassed.

Regina's nose wrinkled in disgust. ,,You are vile."

,,Am I? Is that why you gave me this?" Emma asked innocently and fiddled with the swan pendant.

,,No, dear, I gave you that because you kept asking about the old one."

,,Which you won't return to me."

,,Correct."

Emma smiled; Regina was almost acting a bit _playful_ today, and the blonde took a chance and reached across the table to take Regina's hand.

And Regina didn't pull her hand away. She flashed Emma another of those beautiful beaming smiles and entwined their fingers.

 _Damn, her smile could end world wars and stop hearts_. Or perhaps the opposite. Emma found that her own heart was beating ridiculously fast. And that really was ridiculous. Regina was just smiling at her and holding her hand. Just that. Not even kissing her. _That would probably send me into cardiac arrest anyway_.

Emma wasn't used to getting affected that easily. Had always had commitment issues. She had spent years fumbling around her own feelings for Killian. Now it was completely different. With Regina she wanted the whole damn thing. And she wanted it now.

,,I think we are being watched, sweetheart," Regina murmured quietly, without letting go of Emma's hand.

Emma quickly looked around in the diner. Henry looked like he was stealing glances here and there, and Snow didn't even bother to hide the fact that she was watching them.

,,Yeah, I think you're right about tha.." _Wait, did she just call me "sweetheart"?_

" _Do you mind passing me those shot glass, sweetheart_? _"_

" _Sure. These?"_

" _Yes, Emma. They look very much like shot glasses, don't you think?" Roni grinned cheekily._

" _Shut up," Emma laughed. "I'm not used to working at a bar, alright?"_

" _I'm sure you'll learn soon enough, sweetheart."_

" _Oh yeah?" Emma chuckled. "Are you planning on keeping me around, Roni?"_

" _Why yes, that's exactly what I'm planning…"_

,,What's on your mind now, miss Swan?" Regina asked and tilted her head.

,,Seattle."

Regina raised an eyebrow. ,,Is that appropriate? Considering where we are right now?"

,,Shut up, not _that_ kind of memory," Emma muttered and blushed ferociously.

,,Hmm," Regina said, and Emma noticed that she almost sounded a bit disappointed.

,,What were _you_ thinking about?" Emma asked, immediately intrigued.

,,That I'm done eating," Regina replied and smirked a little as she pushed her plate away and stood up.

,,So am I," Emma quickly parroted. Food had never been less important to her.

Regina looked around to check that everyone in the diner were busy chatting or eating before she said: ,,I don't suppose I have to ask you whether you would like to come home with me?"

,,Duh," Emma teased as she followed the brunette out of the diner. On her way out she heard her mother murmur something about "look how she's smiling" or something like that, and Emma knew that Mary Margaret was absolutely right about that. The blonde could feel the ridiculous smile plastered to her face.

,,Just for the record," Emma said when she caught up with Regina. ,,I'm not planning on going home tonight."

,,Duh."

 **To Be Continued..?**


	44. Chapter 44

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 44:**

When Emma awoke that morning, she felt exhausted.

For several reasons.

The most obvious one was because of lack of sleep, but it wasn't just that. Her entire body was just plain _sore_ , and some of her muscles felt like jelly. Or non-existing.

Not to mention the fact that her chest and stomach were covered in a million little reddish marks, and- Emma frowned- was that a fucking _bite_ mark? How could she not have noticed that?

Emma turned around in the ridiculously big bed, and was delighted to find a very tousled Regina next to her. Normally she was long gone when Emma woke up. The Mayor always showed up early for work, but apparently not today, and Emma immediately snuggled into the brunette. Apart from _other activities_ , this was definitely her favorite thing to do with Regina.

,,Haven't you had enough sleep, miss Swan?"

,,Nope," Emma grinned. ,,And neither have you."

,,Whatever makes you say that?"

Emma chuckled and gestured to the million little marks on her body. ,,Given how busy you were last night, I mean."

Regina smirked and once again reminded Emma of a lioness eyeing her prey when she said: ,,Trust me, I am in no way exhausted."

,,How the fuck is that possible?"

,,Language," Regina admonished and ran a finger up and down Emma's shoulder.

,,Why? I think the oh so refined Madam Mayor swore a great deal herself last night," Emma rebutted cheekily.

But Regina didn't even flinch when she said: ,,That was different. Swearing was required last night. It isn't right now."

,,That's bullshit."

,,Do you really want to teach our child such filthy language?"

,,Our _child_?" Emma echoed, suddenly completely awake.

Regina reached into one of her bedroom drawers and presented Emma with a sheet of paper. ,,I've already signed my part. Now it's your turn. One little signature on the dotted line, and we can get our baby."

,,Are you serious? As in actually serious?" Emma grinned, but was a little surprised. None of them had mentioned the adoption for a few days, Emma had been too much of a coward to bring up the subject, she had been terrified to push Regina.

,,Yes, I'm quite serious. That is, if you still want to do this of course."

,,Give me that pencil," Emma said and didn't bother to wait until Regina turned around and got the pencil. Instead the blonde simply reached across her and snatched the pencil from her grasp. With absolutely no hesitation, Emma signed the paper.

Regina smiled widely at her, and Emma was sure she could pass out from that sight. The blonde had to take several deep breaths before she asked: ,,What changed?"

,,Well," Regina wrapped an arm around her. ,,What changed, is that I'm tired of denying myself happiness when there's an excellent chance that I can have it because of two things."

,,What things?"

,,A baby," Regina said softly. ,,And you." She gave Emma a little squeeze. ,,You were right. One thing doesn't have to rule out the other. And I think I might just be able to have both."

,,You can," Emma confirmed and kissed Regina's shoulder. The only part of her she could reach from her current position.

,,We're gonna be a family," Regina murmured and ran a finger through Emma's golden locks.

 _Family_. That word made Emma's heart completely swell in her chest. Family. The one thing she had always wanted. And she had already found a part of her family in her parents, and Henry and Lucy. But unfortunately she had been too wrapped up with falling in love with the wrong person that it hadn't occurred to her to search for missing part of her family. The part that was Regina.

But it ward hard to feel bitter about lost time when Regina was right here next to her, holding her so close.

Whether it was because of sudden sentimentality, or just plain lack of sleep, Emma never found out, but either way she suddenly heard herself blurt out: ,,You are my home."

The next moment she felt a little embarrassed about her sudden declaration of feelings. _Where the hell did that come from_?

But Regina just laughed warmly and pressed a light kiss to Emma's temple. ,,And you are quite the idiot. But I don't mind."

,,Good. Because you are stuck with me," Emma warned and chuckled.

,,Hmm. I've heard of worse things."

Emma wouldn't have minded a little more sleep, but suddenly Regina gently freed herself from her grasp and got out of bed.

,,No," Emma protested and reached for Regina's wrist. ,,Come back to bed."

,,Not today," Regina said as she slipped into a bathrobe and ran a finger through her mussed up hair. ,,I've already wasted enough time."

,,Excuse me?!" Emma huffed.

,,You are very pretty, but watching you sleep isn't the most fascinating thing," Regina shrugged and left Emma and the bed shockingly empty.

And Emma definitely wasn't very satisfied with being left alone. Sleeping in this stupidly big bed was no fun when Regina wasn't here, so instead of going back to bed, the blonde got out of the bed and searched for her clothes.

She quickly found her underwear and jeans, but her grey tanktop seemed to have vanished overnight. Emma smirked. There was no reason to disturb Regina in the shower, so she opened her humongous big closet and quickly found exactly what she was looking for. A grey silk shirt, no _the_ grey silk shirt with buttons. The shirt Henry once upon a time had smuggled out his mother's closet and "leant" to Emma.

 _Oh well, what's hers is mine_. _She stole my necklace, I'm stealing her shirt_. Emma chuckled a little to herself as she slipped the shirt on and buttoned it. Obviously, the shirt looked better on Regina, but it actually suited Emma quite well too.

Emma was on her way downstairs when she heard someone knock on the front door. _Oh. A morning guest_. Emma didn't really mind that, but her hair wasn't exactly presentable enough to answer the door. But she was left with little choice. Regina was still in the shower, so Emma quickly waved a hand over the visible part of her neck. A handy little spell Regina had taught her. Emma wasn't particularly interested in opening the door covered in hickeys.

Emma quickly went into the hall and opened the front door.

She was greeted with a smile from her son and a: ,,Hey ma."

,,Hey kid," Emma grinned and gave Henry a quick hug.

,,Can I come in?"

,,Sure." Emma ushered Henry inside and into the kitchen. ,,Had any breakfast yet?"

,,Ella and I had breakfast a little while ago. I just wanted to see how mom was doing, but I take it she's doing fine?"

,,Yep. She is," Emma confirmed as she promptly went through the fridge, hunting for something delicious but easy to cook.

,,So, are you living here now?" Henry asked interested and watched Emma move around in the kitchen like she knew exactly what she was looking for.

,,No," Emma shrugged and grabbed the toast. ,,Not really."

,,Not really?" Henry echoed and raised an eyebrow. ,,What does that mean?"

Emma shrugged again. Apart from the tiny thing of adopting a child together, she and Regina hadn't discussed the future much. But the truth was, that Emma hadn't spent a lot of time in her own house. She preferred "hanging around" here, or "lingering" as Regina called it.

,,I still live in my house," she told Henry, ,,But right now I'm here, so…"

,,Mom doesn't want you to move in with her?" Henry asked and frowned.

,,We haven't really talked about that," Emma said truthfully. ,,Toast?"

Henry chuckled and nodded. He had definitely inherited his appetite from Emma.

 _I wonder if the new baby will have a big appetite_?

Emma and Henry sat down at the table, Lady immediately started begging by their feet, and Emma couldn't help but give the poor thing a bite or two.

,,You look happy," Henry observed.

,,I'm eating," Emma shrugged. ,,Food has a tendency to make me feel good."

Henry rolled his eyes at her, and it struck Emma how much he looked like Regina when he did that. ,,That wasn't what I meant. You look really, really _happy_."

,,I am," Emma nodded and smiled. She really was. She had no idea that life could be this good.

Emma hadn't noticed that the shower had stopped running until Regina came trotting down the stairs. Lady immediately lost interest in Emma and Henry and ran to Regina's side, yapping happily and trying her best to lick the brunette's hand.

Regina bent down and patted Lady's head. Then she noticed Henry sitting at the table with Emma, and her face lit up in a smile.

,,Hey mom."

,,Hi, sweetheart," she gave Henry a quick hug, and then she cocked her head and gave Emma a look. Or, rather she gave Emma's shirt an interesting look.

Emma grinned and shrugged innocently as she remembered that she was in fact wearing Regina's shirt. Again.

Henry didn't seem to notice anything though, and he chatted on with both Regina and Emma.

,,You are hanging out here quite a lot aren't you?" Henry asked and raised an eyebrow at Emma.

,,She won't leave," Regina said dead-seriously. ,,Believe me, I've tried."

,,But she isn't doing a very good job," Emma added and went along on the joke.

Regina chuckled warmly and once again Emma was taken aback by just how _fucking_ beautiful this woman was when she was laughing.

 _Can I kiss her while Henry is here_?

Okay, maybe that wouldn't be entirely appropriate. Their son was already watching the way Emma was staring at Regina, and smirked.

Regina settled down at the table and chatted briskly with their son, and as Emma watched them from across the table, she thought about just how perfect that picture was. And how even more perfect it would be when they got their new baby.

Henry stayed for a little while, and he promised to bring Lucy with him the next time.

Once he was out of the door, Regina turned to Emma and shot her one of her regal looks with a raised eyebrow.

,,What?" Emma asked.

,,You are wearing my shirt," Regina stated plainly as she cleaned up after breakfast.

,,Yes," Emma grinned. ,,I couldn't find my own."

,,Hmm."

,,Is that a problem?" Emma inquired, still grinning but secretly worried that she had overstepped some sort of line.

,,No. I kind of.. _like it_ ," Regina shrugged.

,,Really?" now Emma's grin was toothy.

,,Yes. It suits you."

,,I kinda like what _you_ are wearing right now," Emma half-mocked. Regina was still dressed in one of her ridiculously expensive looking dressing gowns over a pajama.

Regina scoffed. ,,I didn't feel like getting dressed yet."

,,It's almost midday, Madam Mayor," Emma teased. ,,And you are not even dressed yet, tsk tsk. What happened to you? Did you experience some sort of personality transformation?"

Regina raised an eyebrow and then smiled wickedly as she said: ,,Maybe." And with that she waved her hand, engulfing herself in purple smoke.

Emma's jaw dropped when the purple smoke vaporized and left Regina wearing a pair of black ripped jeans, a tanktop and a ragged denim jacket over it.

,,There. I'm dressed." Regina teased.

Emma just stared and felt rather dumb. It was like opening a door to a not so faraway past. About a million flashbacks of Roni flooded her mind, and Emma drank in the image of "her" bartender.

,,What can I get you, miss Swan?" Regina joked and easily slipped back into the role as the accented bartender.

Emma grinned widely. ,,It's a bit early to drink, so I'll settle for a kiss. For now."

Regina raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest. ,,Are you hitting on your bartender, miss Swan?"

,,Yes," Emma said plainly. ,,But it's probably not the first time you've experienced that."

Regina chuckled and closed the gap between them.

Emma immediately took the opportunity to wrap an arm around the brunette, tangle her fingers into Regina's wild, curly hair and kiss her eagerly.

She was finally able to acknowledge that Regina and Roni weren't two separate people, but still, she could have sworn that kissing her felt just a bit different. Regina didn't exactly hold anything back when they kissed, but Emma was pretty damn sure that "Roni" was a tiny bit more aggressive. But in a good way. In a _very_ good way.

,,I dare you to go to work dressed like that," Emma grinned a bit breathless when they broke apart.

Regina giggled- _giggled_! And Emma was positive that it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

,,Not a chance, miss Swan. I may be willing to indulge you in private, but in public? I don't think so."

,,Does that mean Roni can come back?" Emma grinned.

,,Well, she's here right now, isn't she?" Regina gently retorted and kissed Emma's cheek like she had done it once in Seattle.

,,How do you think "Roni" would have felt about adopting a kid with me?"

Regina's face lit up. ,,I'm quite certain she would have loved that."

Emma tightened her grip around the brunette. ,,I'm glad I can make her wish come true then."

 **To Be Continued…?**


	45. Chapter 45

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 45:**

There wasn't a lot of things to do at the station today. Honestly, there wasn't a lot of crime in Storybrooke anymore, so Emma mostly did paperwork.

She had always found that part of her job boring. Just sitting on her ass all day and filling out blank spots on the sheets of papers.

But of course, it would have been worse if she had been here all alone. And that she wasn't. Lily was sitting right next to her, filling out her own sheet of paper. Occasionally mumbling about how much of a bother this was. And Emma made sure to agree every time.

,,This sucks," Lily grumbled and muttered something less pretty when her pencil snapped for the second time.

,,Yep." Emma agreed.

Lily looked outside at the clear, blue sky and sighed. ,,What I wouldn't give for stretching my wings right now."

,,I saw you the other day. Your landings are getting better and better," Emma complimented.

,,Thank you."

Lily squinted and looked conspiratorially at Emma. ,,And how are things going at home?"

Emma turned her eyes to the ceiling. She knew perfectly well what Lily meant by "at home", she was referring to Regina. Had an endless interest in Emma and Regina's relationship for some reason.

,,Do you want to know, or is it in fact your mom who wants to know?" Emma asked cheekily.

Lily grinned. ,,It's not my fault she's curious."

Emma rolled her eyes. ,,Well in that case, tell her that things are going swimmingly. Splendid. Couldn't go better."

,,Good. And are you treating her well?"

,,Lily!" Emma spluttered.

,,My mother's question, not mine," Lily shrugged.

,,Did _she_ treat her well?" Emma shot back, determined not to be intimated by a dragon lady's many questions.

,,I think she tried. In her own way."

 _In her own way_. Emma narrowed her eyes. She would definitely do a better job at "treating Regina well" than Maleficent.

,,If your mom is so damn interested, why doesn't she just ask me herself, or Regina for that matter?"

,,Good question."

Emma turned her attention back to her paperwork. She really hoped Maleficent wouldn't turn out to be a problem. It seemed like they had already had all the problems the world could offer. She didn't need Maleficent's weird jealousy to drive some sort wedge between them. Emma wondered if she had been this jealous when Regina had been with Robin.

 _Nope, probably not_. Emma suspected that Regina's "ex" was jealous because Regina was dating another woman. A _blonde_ woman.

Oh well, Emma definitely wasn't above having a little "chat" with Maleficent. And tell her to back the hell off in the process. Yes, she would very much enjoy doing that.

,,Emma? Hey, Swan?"

Emma blinked and snapped out of it when Lily threw a crumpled paper at her.

,,What?" she asked disorientated and fished the crumpled paper out of her hair.

,,Those papers aren't gonna write themselves," Lily smirked.

,,Oh. Right."

,,What are you thinking about?"

,,Nothing."

,,Uh-huh. And is "nothing" about 5'5 tall, brunette and always scowling?"

,,Regina is not always scowling."

,,So you _were_ thinking about her. Again."

,,Shut up."

Lily laughed shamelessly. ,,Smitten."

Emma scowled at her friend. But Lily wasn't wrong, though. Emma was most definitely "smitten". More than smitten.

 _Completely and head over heels in love_. _And in the process of adopting a kid with the source of her "smitten-ness"._

They should probably begin telling people about their kid. But both Emma and Regina found it awfully hard to get the right words out. The official story was, that they "were taking things slow". And adopting a child together definitely categorize as taking things slow.

Emma didn't fear her parent's reaction, though. She knew that they would be surprised at first, but then happy for her. Like they always were.

Adopting a child with Regina. That thought still filled Emma with warmth. A little girl that would call both of them "mommy". How great would that be? It wasn't the way she had imagined starting a family, but now, it was the only way she _wanted_ to start a family. It wasn't your typical first step in a relationship, but Emma was so ready for it. So ready to take all the steps with Regina. Her commitments issues seemed to have vanished in thin air.

,,I think you have a visitor," Lily nonchalantly pointed out and chuckled a little.

Emma's head snapped up from the not-even-half-done-paperwork. She did indeed have a visitor. The best kind of visitor. A 5'5 tall definitely not scowling brunette visitor.

,,Hey," Regina said. ,,Bad time?"

 _When is it ever_? ,,Nope. I was just about to take a break anyway," Emma lied.

,,Lunch break?" Regina suggested and handed Emma what looked like a tin foil wrapped sandwich.

,,Thanks," Emma grinned. ,,I was completely starving, and.. is that a grilled cheese sandwich?" she interrupted herself and stared at the sandwich.

,, _And_ a bear claw," Regina added and handed Emma another tin foil wrapped package.

,,Holy shit, you're amazing." Emma said and took a bite of the sandwich.

,,Yes, so you say."

Emma chuckled. There were normal ways of accepting a compliment, like blushing and saying "thank you", and then there was Regina.

Regina returned the smile and elegantly shoved Emma's papers aside to sit on the desk. Didn't even bother to ask for permission.

 _Careful, I think your Roni is showing._

And it was. Literally. Regina's hair was once again in messy curls, and she was wearing a pair of large, round golden earrings.

That change had come gradually. And had sneaked up on her in a way so Emma barely noticed it at first. But then she had picked up on how Regina had gradually abandoned her "polished and correct" pantsuits in favor of more casual outfits. Like jeans and a t-shirt.

But it didn't seem to Emma, like the brunette was dressing up for her sake. More like for her own, and after a bit of nudging on Emma's account, Regina had admitted that she actually liked "Roni's" more relaxed style. It was a nice change.

And then Emma realized that she was staring at Regina. Again. The brunette didn't seem fazed by it, but Lily rolled her eyes at the pair and pushed her chair back.

,,I'm gonna take lunch somewhere else." The young brunette announced. ,,This is unbearable to watch."

Regina sniggered and seemed rather delighted at Lily's reaction, and waved cheekily as the deputy sheriff left the office.

Emma couldn't help but laugh either. She loved it when Regina was acting like this. All innocent but flirty and cheeky at the same time. It was an absolute joy to watch Madam Mayor melt away and become a much younger and carefree version of Regina. It made Emma wonder if Regina had been like this when she was younger. Before life turned all crazy on her.

,,You better eat that bear claw before I do," Regina warned and pulled Emma out of her thoughts.

,, _You_?" Emma snorted. ,,You never eat bear claws."

Regina quickly reached out and ripped a bite of the bear claw and stuffed into her mouth. ,,Proved you wrong."

,,You are in a good mood today," Emma observed.

,,And do I have a reason not to be, miss Swan?" Regina laughed and tucked a lock of golden hair behind Emma's ear.

That little touch was enough to make Emma's neck go flush and her heart beat go all "wonky."

Regina laughed when she noticed it. ,,Should I stop touching you?"

,,No!" Emma said before she thought about it. ,,But maybe yeah."

Regina raised an eyebrow. ,,Vague answer. Yes or no?"

,,Touch me later?" Emma suggested. A rather bold suggestion for a public place like the sheriff's station, but what the hell. Regina seemed on board with it. Today.

,,Someone's feeling brave," Regina observed, but she had that twinkle in her eye that told Emma, she hadn't overstepped a line.

,,I'm the Savior. It's in my blood to feel brave," Emma chuckled and entwined their fingers.

,, _And_ cocky." Regina added.

,,No way, that's your forte." Emma accused and squeezed Regina's fingers.

,,I have no idea what you are talking about, miss Swan."

,,Bite me."

,,Gladly. Would you like that?"

Emma choked on her bear claw. _Seriously_? _Way to bluescreen my brain in the middle of lunch break, Regina. But interesting suggestion nevertheless._ So far, Regina had demonstrated some pretty intense scratching abilities on the blonde's back, but there had been no biting. _Are you secretly a biter, Regina_? _And if you are, why the hell are you holding back_? _I'm not gonna break, you know_.

,,Where is your head right now, Emma?" Regina asked casually.

,,In places it has no business being right now," Emma admitted, and Regina laughed warmly.

,,You are very sweet when you are all flustered."

,,I am _not_ flustered."

,,Of course you're not." Regina said and glanced at her watch. The brunette's eyes darted between her watch and the door, and Emma quickly said:

,,Don't go yet. My lunchbreak isn't over until in three minutes."

,,I have a distinct feeling that you are gonna show up at my house when you are finished here, and yet you are demanding that I stay for three more minutes?"

,,Yep."

Regina rolled her dark eyes. ,,You are crazy."

,,About you."

,,Just crazy," Regina corrected, but she was smiling widely.

,,Emma, have you seen my.. oh, hi Regina."

Both women looked up, and Emma smiled at her father who just walked into the sheriff's station. ,,Hi dad."

,,Hey. Hi, Regina."

,,David." Regina greeted and smiled.

,,What's up?" Emma asked briskly, and was secretly pleased about the fact that Regina no longer took off when Snow or David showed up.

,,I think I left my watch here while I was acting as a sheriff during the curse," David explained.

,,And you've only noticed that now?" Emma grinned. ,,Are you getting old?"

,,Excuse me," David huffed. ,,I am not old just because I forget things once in a while, Emma."

Regina laughed, and the sound was so beautiful, Emma almost forgot everything.

 _She really knows how to distract me._

It took Emma several minutes and searches through several drawers before she found her father's missing watch. ,,Here you go."

,,Thank you," David smiled. ,,Busy day."

,,Boring day," Emma corrected and gestured to the paper work on the desk.

,,Ah. I don't miss _that_ part of being a sheriff," David grinned.

,,Thanks, dad."

,,Maybe we should trade jobs?" David joked.

Emma wrinkled her nose. ,,Working at the animal shelter? Nah, I think I'm good here."

,,Thank god," Regina muttered under her breath.

,,What do you have against the animal shelter?" Emma inquired and grinned.

,,It smells," Regina said plainly and checked her watch. ,,Oh. Lunch break ended two minutes ago. I should get going."

,,See you later?" Emma asked. It's completely unnecessary to do so, but she still does. Just to check.

Regina shot her one of her famous "are you kidding me" smiles, and then, Emma couldn't have been more surprised, the brunette leaned in a gave her a very light kiss on the cheek.

Emma was so busy being in awe over the level of affection Regina was showing in public, that she almost missed the little and barely audible "love you", that left Regina's lips as she left the station.

 _Wait what_?! _What did she say_? _Did she just say_...? _Holy shit_. _I did not see that coming. As in at all_.

Emma had been positive that she would be the first one to say the three little magic words, and yet Regina completely blindsided her and beat her to it. She didn't doubt Regina's feelings for her, but she had no idea that the brunette was "there" yet.

,,I take it she hasn't said that before." David commented, making Emma aware that he was still there.

Oh. So he had heard it to. Well, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The more witnesses the better.

,,Took me by surprise," Emma muttered half-heartedly.

,,Yeah, I can see that," David chuckled and squeezed Emma's shoulder. ,,I'm happy for you. For both of you."

Emma smiled at him. Her parents had been incredible understanding and hadn't asked any questions. They had just accepted that she and Regina were an "item". Period. No raised eyebrows. And Snow kept saying that Regina finally was a "real" part of their family.

The rest of her work day passed agonizingly _slow_ , and Emma's writing was going increasingly slobbier. She just wanted to go home, damnit.

Well, not _home_ exactly. To Regina's mansion. The house she had come to think of her home.

Finally, _finally_ the agonizingly long day ended, and Emma all but jumped out of her chair, stuffed the paperwork away and threw on her jacket and beanie in haste. She even managed to ignore Lily's remark about "having plans with the girlfriend".

Emma jumped into the yellow bug and completely ignored the speed limit as she drove towards the mansion. She practically stood on the brakes as she reached her destination and most likely scared half of town half to dead.

But Emma really didn't give a damn about that right now. The only thing that mattered was getting inside that mansion and asking Regina if she really had said those three little words. And then get her to say them again.

Emma walked inside the mansion, and for a moment she thought Regina wasn't home, but then she heard movements from the office. The blonde quickly opened the door, not really caring to knock.

,,You again." Regina smiled and looked up from what looked like her own paperwork. ,,Where's the fire?"

,,What?" Emma asked.

,,You look completely worked up," Regina pointed out. ,,Are you alright?"

,,Do you love me?" Emma asked plainly.

,,Duh."

Never had "duh" been a more beautiful word, but Emma needed a bit more confirmation than that.

,,Say it then," she encouraged.

,,I think I already did," Regina half-chuckled and pushed her chair back to stand up. ,,It was kind of a slip up on my part, but what the hell."

,,Say it," Emma said, now a bit more demanding.

Regina rolled her eyes. ,,You are like a dog with a bone, do you know that, Swan?"

,,Say it."

,,Fine. I. Love. You." Regina said very, very slowly and dramatic. ,,Happy?"

,,Very," Emma beamed and wrapped her arms tightly around Regina.

Regina stroked her golden hair and murmured: ,,Now the real question is, do you…"

,,I love you," Emma said before Regina could finish the sentence.

And the smile appearing on Regina's lips was enough to make anyone pass out. Emma wouldn't have minded proclaiming her love upstairs in the bedroom, but Regina seemed to have different things on her mind: ,,Emma?"

,,Mhmm?"

,,I think it's time we tell your parents about the baby."

To Be Continued?..


	46. Chapter 46

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 46:**

Ever since Regina's little "I love you" bomb, Emma seemed to have taken permanent residence on cloud nine. A strange destination, as Regina said.

But jokes aside, things were going amazing between her and Regina. The brunette seemed to have swept all concerns off the table. She no longer gave a damn about what the town was thinking about what was going between her and Emma, and more importantly, she no longer minded being seen in town with Emma.

The whole going out on dates thing still seemed to be foreign to Regina though, but Emma was more than willing to teach her everything there was to know about dating.

There was still the "little detail" about adopting a child together, though.

Emma wondered a great deal about just _how_ to share that little nugget of information with her parents. Divorcing Killian because she suddenly had fallen head over heels in love with Regina was one thing, adopting a child together not long after said divorce was something completely else. It didn't quite add up with the whole "taking things slow" thing they had going on.

Regina hadn't pushed her about telling Snow and David, but Emma knew that she couldn't very well keep it to herself until the baby was actually here.

,,What's the worst thing they can say?" Emma asked Regina one morning.

,,That we're crazy," Regina answered without looking up from her breakfast. ,,But that's old news on your part."

,,Hey, I am _not_ crazy," Emma protested.

Regina smirked and flashed her an "are you kidding me" look. ,,Jokes aside, my dear, I don't think they are gonna have a negative reaction. But, if you really are that scared to tell them, start with a smaller announcement and then drop the big one on them afterwards."

,,I am _not_ scared to tell them, it's just.. what kind of smaller announcement?" Emma interrupted herself and tilted her head.

,,Well.. Tell them… Tell them that we're moving in together," Regina suggested calmly and sniggered when Emma spluttered on her morning coffee.

,,Seriously?" the blonde croaked.

,,Yes, why not," Regina shrugged. ,,You are here all the time anyway, and you constantly leave your stuff behind. So, why not just make it official."

Emma grinned. The brunette had a point there. Emma _was_ prone to leave one or two items behind at the mansion.

Regina's dry attitude disappeared, at the happy look on Emma's face, and her expression grew softer as she took Emma's hand over the table. ,,I want to do this the right way."

,,Do what the right way?"

,,This. You and me. Us."

 _Us_. Never had that word been more beautiful. It was quite incredible, really. After everything, every misstep, every fight between them, here they were. About to move in together. And adopt a child. How fast life was changing. Emma didn't mind it at all.

Regina was looking quite intensely at her, and Emma flashed her a beaming smile. ,,What is it?"

,,Nothing… you are just incredibly beautiful in the morning," the brunette said sincerely.

 _And you have a way of making cheesy compliments sound like music_.

Emma didn't tell her that, instead she just leaned across the table and kissed Regina. Coffee breath be damned.

,,So, are you gonna announce to your parents that we have gone mad and move in together?" Regina asked nonchalantly and took another sip of her morning coffee.

,,Yeah I am." Emma grinned.

,,Don't send them into cardiac arrest. I won't be responsible for their deaths. Again."

,,I won't." Emma promised and chuckled.

Emma doubted that neither Snow nor David would get a heart attack though. Once the dust had settled, they had been quite quick to accept the whole "I'm in love with Regina"-thing. So why wouldn't they be okay with them moving in together.

Besides, there wasn't a person in town who didn't know that Emma was in love with Regina. Everyone could see it. The way Emma's eyes lit up, or how genuine Regina's smiles were now.

And as a symbol of their newfound love, Emma had actually framed one of the pictures from Seattle, and now she was placing it on her desk at the sheriff station.

Of all the pictures, this was definitely her favorite. Regina/Roni smirking at the camera, all curly haired with her trademark round, golden earrings and an arm around Emma. The blonde couldn't help but chuckle a little at the expression on her own face. Her cursed self looked positively _smitten_ with the woman next to her. And honestly, she was.

Emma remembered how happy they had been when "Roni" had snapped that picture. How they had laughed and messed around.

,,Knock, knock."

Emma looked up just in time to see her mother walk inside the sheriff station.

,,Hey," the blonde greeted her mother.

,,Is this a bad time?" Snow asked and discarded of her wet raincoat.

,,Nope, not at all. I think it's gonna be a pretty quiet day, come in," Emma smiled.

,,Thank you. The weather is absolutely terribly," Snow commented and looked out of the window.

,,Yeah it is," Emma agreed, but honestly, she hadn't noticed it really. She thought it was a sunny day again, but maybe it was inside her head it was sunny.

It didn't take long before Snow noticed the newly framed photo on Emma's desk. ,,May I?" the pixie haired woman asked and reached for the photograph.

,,Yeah sure."

Snow took the framed picture in her hand and studied it. Then she smiled a little. ,,Regina sure looks different here."

,,She was different." Emma said and smiled fondly as she remembered the flirty, confident, accented bartender mixed with the classy, refined, old fashioned woman that was Regina.

,,And the clothes she's wearing," Snow continued and chuckled. ,,I never thought I would see Regina in a denim jacket."

,,She had a lot of those," Emma nodded. ,,I think it was her trademark or something like that."

,,You mentioned that she had a different name, but you never told me what it was?" Snow said.

,,Roni." Emma grinned. ,,Her name was Roni."

,,Roni." Snow repeated and chuckled again. ,,That actually suits her."

,,Mhmm. It does."

,,How are things going between you and Regina?" Snow asked as she put the photo back on Emma's desk.

,,Couldn't go better," Emma said. _Oh right, this is the perfect opportunity to tell that we're moving in together_.

,,In fact, she's asked me if I would like to move in with her," Emma casually continued. ,,And I said yes."

Snow's face split into one of those big smiles, Emma often connected with talk of having hope, but she didn't need to give Emma what Regina called "a hope speech", Emma had already plenty of hope for the future.

,,That's wonderful news, Emma! I'm so happy for you!" Snow squealed, and the sound almost blew Emma's ear out, but right now, that didn't matter one bit. Her mother was happy for her. That was the only thing that mattered.

,,Thank you, mom," Emma said and returned her mother's hug. ,,I know, it seems a bit fast, but…"

,,You are certain," Snow finished the sentence. ,,That's the only thing that matter. I'm so happy about this, I've wanted Regina to become a part of the family for so long, and now she is."

,,Yeah, I guess she is," Emma laughed. ,,Just promise me to never call her your daughter-in-law, alright?"

,,What?" Snow sniggered.

,,Dad called her that. When I first told him about us," Emma confessed with a chuckle.

,,He did?" Snow spluttered. ,,Well, that's…"

,,Weird," Emma said flatly.

,,I would have said _sweet_ ," Snow corrected mock sternly.

Emma laughed. _Well that was easy_. _I wonder how she will react to the other news_.

,,Actually, there's one more thing, mom," the blonde started. ,,And it's kind of a big deal, so you should probably sit down or something like that."

Snow raised an eyebrow, but nevertheless sat down at the desk. ,,What is it?"

,,Before Henry's message arrived, and we left for the Enchanted Forest to help him, Regina was actually thinking about adopting again."

,,Really? She never told me that," Snow frowned.

,,Nor me. Henry needed help, and we got swept up in the curse, everything was so confused afterwards, so I honestly think she forgot to, but now…"

,,Now?" Snow encouraged gently.

Emma sat down on the desk and told Snow about the letter from the adoption agency and Regina's hesitation to even open it at first.

,,Well, I finally persuaded her to open it, and it turns out there's a little girl waiting for her in Boston."

,,So Regina is adopting again. I'm happy for her," Snow smiled.

,,She didn't want to at first," Emma continued. ,,Because of what she called "the new situation".

,,Meaning you?"

,,Exactly."

,,But you convinced her to go through with it."

,,I did a bit more than that," Emma said and fiddled with her hands in her lap. ,,I said I wanted to be a part of it. And I mean it."

Snow's jaw dropped, and Emma silently counted to 20 to give her mother a moment to process it.

,,Does that mean that you and Regina are adopting a child _together_?" Snow whispered after a moment of silence.

Emma nodded. ,,It's a lot to take in, I know. But I could never ask Regina to give up on her plans just because of what's happening between us. She wants this so badly. She misses being a mother, and… I want to have a family with her. It just feels _right_. I'm sure of it. I'm sure about _her_. Have never been more sure in my life, and- are you crying?!"

 _Damn. I didn't foresee this_.

,,Of course I'm crying," Snow said. ,,You've just told me that I'm going to be a grandmother. Of _course_ I'm crying."

Emma smiled widely, but she hadn't exactly thought about that the adoption meant that Snow and David would become grandparents. To her and Regina's child.

 _Talk about complicated family tree_.

Emma was saved from dealing further with her blubbering mother, when the door to the sheriff station opened, and Regina arrived with what looked like lunch from Granny's.

The brunette barely made it through the door before Snow more or less tackled her and hugged her tightly.

Emma sniggered. Regina looked utterly confused and shot the blonde a "what the hell is going on"-look.

,,You're strangling me, dear," she said and awkwardly patted Snow on the back.

Snow only responded by hugging Regina tighter.

Now it actually looked like Snow was in fact choking Regina a little, and the brunette made several failed attempts at freeing herself. When she didn't succeed, she looked at Emma and said: ,,Please make it stop."

,,Come on mom," Emma sniggered. ,,Give her a break. You are squishing my lunch."

,,Right. Worry about your _lunch_ ," Regina snipped and glared at Emma, as Snow finally unhanded her.

,,What, I'm hungry," Emma defended and ignored the dead stares Regina shot at her.

,,Well in that case, here is your precious _lunch_ ," Regina said mockingly and handed Emma the bag.

,,Thanks." Emma grinned and took a bite of the sandwich.

,,And any particular reason you decided that _attacking_ me would be a good idea?" Regina asked Snow.

,,I told her about the adoption," Emma explained, and Regina's confused expression turned into a knowing one.

,,Ah. Suddenly things make sense," the brunette nodded.

,,That's _wonderful_ news, Regina," Snow gushed. ,,I'm so happy for you."

,,Thank you, dear. As your daughter so cleverly said, it's not the first time we have co-parented, so I'm sure we can make it work." The brunette flashed a smile. One of those special ones, reserved for Emma, and for Emma alone. A smile, that never failed to make Emma's knees buckle.

,,That little girl is gonna have great mother's." Snow said, oblivious to Emma's suddenly rather weak knees.

,,Yep," Emma agreed and tried to snap out of it. Now wasn't a good time _attack_ Regina. ,,I'm pretty sure that kid will grow up to be awesome."

,,Don't ever teach her that word." Regina said and rolled her eyes.

,,You used it a dozen of times in Seattle," Emma innocently reminded the brunette, and Snow chuckled.

,,I was _cursed_ ," Regina growled. ,,You don't see me smoking anymore either, do you?"

,,Touché. I'm glad you stopped that. No reason to ruin your lungs."

,,Wouldn't be very good for the baby either," Regina commented.

,,All the more reason to stop."

,,Exactly."

Emma smiled and reached for Regina's hand, but the brunette elegantly hopped of the desk and headed for the door once more.

,,Are you leaving already?" Emma complained. She wouldn't have minded Regina staying a bit longer.

,,Yes, I happen to be swamped with work, miss Swan."

,,Fine. See you at home," Emma grumbled.

,,And where is that?" Regina laughed.

,,Your place. _Duh_."

Regina sniggered. ,,See you later, Snow."

,,See you, Regina."

Emma was still watching the brunette walking away, when Snow grabbed her attention by saying: ,,Why is she calling you miss Swan?"

Emma grinned broadly. ,,Because some things never change."

 **To Be Continued?**


	47. Chapter 47

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 47:**

Emma really appreciated these kinds of mornings. The ones where neither Regina or herself had to get up early and leave for work.

And she especially appreciated the rare mornings where she was awake before Regina. As creepy as it sounded, Emma loved watching her sleep. Heavens know Regina was a beautiful sleeper, but it was more than that. She just looked so peaceful. So contend. So young and innocent.

Regina would probably laugh her head off if Emma ever told her that, so the blonde kept it to herself. Was satisfied with watching the brunette silently.

 _God, she's so beautiful_.

Emma often wondered if Regina even knew what kind of impact she had on the blonde. It was funny really, sometimes Regina seemed so innocent, and miles away from the cold woman Emma had met years ago. She really seemed younger. Like the removal of the queen had left room for the woman Emma's mother had known.

Sometimes Emma used these early mornings to hit herself in the head about being completely blind and not seeing Regina like this before. But not this morning.

This morning she was fairly satisfied with just looking at the woman she loved.

Regina muttered something inaudible in her sleep, and Emma wondered what she was dreaming about. _Hopefully me_ , Emma thought before she could stop herself. Maybe that was a tad smug to hope for, but Emma couldn't help it.

How long before the brunette would wake up and accuse Emma of being "creepy"? Regina often woke up and caught Emma staring at her, claimed a prickling sensation in the back of her neck woke her up.

Regina muttered something in her sleep again, and Emma was fairly certain that it was _her_ name. The blonde grinned and made a mental note to herself about using that as blackmail for "grumpier" times.

Suddenly, Regina's eyelids fluttered, and the brunette slowly opened one dark eye, and then the other. She could deny it all she wanted, but she really was so beautiful in the morning with tousled hair and no makeup. Regina was a natural beauty.

,,Good morning."

And plus, that _voice_ in the morning. All rough and hoarse from sleeping. Regina claimed she sounded like she had just crawled out of a hole in the morning, but to Emma she sounded incredibly sexy.

,,Good morning," Emma smiled. ,,Did you sleep alright?"

,,Mhmm. I always do when you're here," Regina muttered and flashed Emma a sleepy smile.

,,Then it's good I'm not going anywhere."

,,That is very good," Regina agreed and made a "come here" motion with her hands.

Emma immediately scooted closer and wrapped an arm around Regina. The brunette snuggled into her and buried her face in the crook of Emma's neck. Clearly, she wasn't completely awake yet.

,,Tired?" Emma asked gently. There was something incredibly adorable about a sleepy Regina.

,,No, I'm saving energy."

,,For what, exactly?"

,,Pretty soon we're gonna be parents," Regina yawned. ,,And maybe you have, but I haven't forgotten how much a baby cries at night, so I'm trying to get all the sleep I can."

,,That makes sense," Emma nodded. ,,But there's just one problem."

,,And what's that?"

,,I can't kiss you when you're asleep."

,,Technically, you could, but that would be weird," Regina chuckled.

,,So are you gonna wake up so I _can_ kiss you?" Emma inquired.

,,I am awake, but you can't kiss me."

,,Why not?"

,,Morning breath," Regina shrugged.

,,That's not possible. Not with all those mint pastels you eat during the day."

,,And who says I was talking about me?"

Emma gave her a soft jab in the ribs, and the brunette huffed. ,,Rude."

,,You are," Emma said.

,,I'm always rude, dear. Especially towards you," Regina teased lightly.

 _Not_ _always_ _._ Emma decided to let that remark slide and took Regina's hand instead. The brunette squirmed when Emma ran a finger over the feather tattoo on her wrist.

,,That tickles."

Emma ignored that too. ,,Why do you think the curse gave you a feather tattoo?"

,,I'm not sure," Regina answered and raised on her elbows. ,,At first I assumed it had something to do with Robin and the feather he gave me, a way for me to carry his feather with me everywhere, but then Lucy presented a theory for me. And I actually find it to be quite charming. No pun intended."

,,What kind of theory?"

Regina rummaged through her bedroom drawer and found a picture printed from Google. She handed the picture to Emma who tilted her head.

,,Well, that definitely looks like your feather," the blonde nodded. The picture was spot on and looked exactly like the feather tattooed on Regina's wrist.

,,It's a swan feather," Regina said calmly.

,,Seriously?"

,,Indeed. Of course, it's just Lucy who has a sweet theory about the feather pointing me to you, but as I said, it's just a theory and nothing more."

Emma grinned. ,,I like that theory. Like a lot."

,,She's a clever child."

,,Ours will be too."

,,And hopefully she will inherit every last quirk of yours," Regina said tenderly and kissed Emma's palm.

,,I thought you hated my quirks."

,,I don't hate _anything_ about you, Emma."

,,I love you," Emma said simply. Not that they constantly said that, but this moment definitely called for an I love you moment.

,,And I, you. But I think you already know that."

Emma leaned back in the bed, still holding on to Regina. ,,This is nice."

,,It is."

Emma especially appreciated the silence. Not that she minded Regina talking, she loved hearing Regina's voice, it was the silence within her own head that felt good. She wasn't haunted by Seattle flashbacks or hearing Roni's voice in her head anymore. That had stopped the first night she and Regina spend together. As soon as "the real deal" was back in Emma's arms, the vision of the bartender had disappeared. And Emma didn't mind that one bit. She would always remember Roni, no doubt about that, but she didn't obsess over her anymore. And she didn't miss her anymore either. Because the fact was, that she was right _here._ Regina was Roni and Roni was Regina. There was nothing to miss anymore.

,,What are you thinking about?" Regina questioned.

,,That I really love you."

,,Two "I love you's" in one morning. You're in a good mood," Regina chuckled.

,,Damn right I am. We're gonna live together. We're about to adopt a kid together. I have every reason to be in a good mood."

Regina nodded, and then yawned a little. ,,We should either get out of bed or go back to sleep."

,,You forgot about the third option," Emma stated.

,,I wasn't aware that there _was_ a third option."

,,There's _always_ a third option," Emma chuckled. And she was a big fan of the third option.

Regina's confused expression turned into one of those damned little half-smirks when Emma started toying with the buttons in her pajama shirt.

,,That would have been nice, dear, but you have about a million boxes to move out of your house."

,,They can wait."

,,And we have a nursery to finish."

,,Way to ruin the party," Emma deflated. Regina was right about the boxes and the nursery, but that didn't change the fact that Emma was in a certain mood right now.

,,Now get your pretty hands of me and get out of bed," Regina chuckled and swatted Emma's hand away from her chest. The brunette mock scowled as she buttoned the two buttons Emma had managed to open.

,,You are breaking my heart, Regina," Emma warned.

,,Actually I think I'm done breaking your heart," Regina quipped as she left the bedroom.

One shower and breakfast later, both women left the mansion. Emma actually had a couple of boxes she needed to move over to Regina's, and Regina needed to finish some paperwork at the town hall.

,,Sometimes I miss owning a bar," Regina muttered as they walked Main Street. ,,There wasn't as much paperwork to take off."

Emma sniggered. ,,I thought owning a business included doing paperwork too."

,,Yes, well, I never did it. Lila did," Regina admitted.

,,Right. Are you ever gonna tell me what went on with you and her?" Emma frowned.

,,Best not." Regina replied. ,,I don't feel like defending the actions of my cursed self right now."

Emma chuckled a little at that. She could put two and two together, Regina didn't need to say anymore. It was quite obvious that her cursed self had slept with Lila at least once at some point.

,,Emma? Hello?"

Emma's amusement was replaced with surprise when Regina whistled, actually _whistled_ to get her attention.

,,Did you just whistle at me?"

,,You are daydreaming in the middle of the street," Regina said flatly.

 _Oh_. The brunette was right about that. Emma quickly caught up with Regina and sniggered.

,,I think your Roni is showing, Madam Mayor."

,,I can't keep her locked away all the time, can I?" Regina quipped.

,,No, that would be a damn shame," Emma agreed. ,,I remember the first time you whistled at me."

,,Mmm, you pulled a gun at me. A very fond memory." Regina deadpanned.

,,Hey, I thought you were a creep," Emma laughed and squeezed Regina's arm.

,,Well I _wasn't_."

,,Nope, but you _were_ drunk."

,,Correct. I was."

Emma laughed and squeezed Regina's arm again. The couple continued towards the town hall and Emma only reluctantly let go of the brunette when they reached their destination.

,,Can we have lunch together at Granny's?" Emma asked.

,,Of course. We have a trip to Boston to discuss," Regina smiled, and Emma knew that she was referring to the adoption.

,,Can't believe we're picking up our kid in next week."

,,I know, everything has happened rather fast," Regina nodded.

,,I can't wait to meet her," Emma grinned. ,,Henry actually mentioned something about wanting to come with us when we're picking her up."

,,I know, I think he's excited to become a "big brother," Regina quipped.

Emma wrapped an arm around Regina's waist. ,,And I'm excited to be a mother again."

,,So am I."

Emma wouldn't have minded this moment lasting forever, maybe she was clingy, but holding Regina was one of her favorite things.

And for once, Regina didn't seem to mind a moment of tenderness. She lazily entwined their fingers and smiled at the blonde.

Emma was just about to comment on how nice this was, when a prickling sensation in the back of her neck told her that they were being watched.

Without letting go of the brunette, Emma craned her neck to look behind them. They were indeed being watched by none other than Maleficent, who was looking at them from across the street.

 _Oh, you have to be kidding me_. Emma felt herself shockingly close to walk across the street and tell that damn dragon lady to back the hell off or something like that. But then she realized that there was a much more subtle yet effective way to let the dragon know that Regina was very much taken.

,,Come here," Emma said silkily and grasped Regina's wrists to pull her closer.

,,What?" Regina chuckled.

Emma let her action speak as she kissed Regina tenderly. To hell with this being in public.

Regina seemed surprised, but definitely not unhappy with Emma's actions. And oh yeah, she was kissing back. Most definitely kissing back. And- _aha_ \- tender fingers ran through Emma's hair as they kissed.

 _Ha, take that, dragon. She's_ _mine_ _._

Regina wrapped her arms tightly around the blonde's neck, and Emma could feel herself getting a bit lightheaded. Kissing Regina was not for the fainthearted, she thought to herself. That woman should come with a warning. Saying something like "highly addictive" or something like that.

Emma wished that time could stop. Just for a moment. Just for a couple of hours or so. By that time, she would probably tire of feeling Regina's lips against her own.

 _Nah. Who am I kidding_.

Emma tightened her grip around Regina's waist. _I'm never letting her go again_.

But, alas, there was no such thing as everlasting moments in Storybrooke, and the interruption arrived in shape of a discreet coughing nearby.

Emma reluctantly broke the kiss to see who had interrupted them.

It was Leroy, and the dwarf looked quite amused as he passed them with a "good morning".

But Leroy wasn't the only by-stander. Emma's cheeks grew pink when she caught sight of her father standing on the opposite street with a "coffee to go" in his hand.

 _I really hope I didn't make him choke on that_.

,,And now I'll never be able to look your father in the eyes again." Regina muttered and smoothened her hair.

,,Oops?" Emma offered.

,,Understatement of the year," Regina scowled, but a smile lurked in the corner of her mouth.

,,Have a good day at work," Emma grinned.

,,Well thanks to you it's gonna be a _very_ good day," Regina teased as she disappeared inside the town hall.

Emma sniggered to herself. She only felt half-embarrassed about being caught kissing Regina like this. It had totally been worth it. Maleficent had miraculously disappeared from sight.

The blonde adjusted her slightly wonky beanie and spun around and started to walk back towards her old house.

David didn't say anything when Emma passed him, he just raised his eyebrow in an "I saw that"-manner. Emma shrugged innocently.

Emma made it to her old house without any further interruptions and started packing the rest of the boxes.

To be honest, she couldn't wait to move out of here permanently. This house didn't mean anything whatsoever to her anymore. She connected it with long nights where she would lie wide awake next to her oblivious husband.

Moving out of this place would be nice.

As she loaded the rest of the boxes into the bug, Emma wondered how it would be to live with Regina all the time. Raise a child together.

 _Like a married couple_.

Wait, what?! _Woah, slow down Emma._ Killian's ring was barely off her finger, and her thoughts were already spinning in a _very_ dangerous direction.

 _Cut it out_. She and Regina _weren't_ a married couple just because they were going to adopt a child together. And live together.

 _No, it would seem like you two are doing things in the wrong order_. Before she could stop herself, the thought of Regina with a shiny ring on her finger formed in Emma's head. Regina in a white dress, all pinked cheeked and glowing with happiness saying "I do". To Emma.

 _Oh my god, will you stop it already_?!

Emma scolded herself several times before climbing into the bug and driving towards the mansion. Getting married to Regina. What the hell was she even thinking?

No, Emma forcefully pushed those crazy thoughts out of her head as she unpacked her stuff in her new home.

Regina would call her "nosy" but this was now Emma's home too, so a little exploring couldn't hurt, could it?

Emma abandoned the now empty boxes and "went snooping around" in Regina's office. _She already has one office at the town hall, why the hell does the even need two_?

As opposed to "Roni's" teeny tiny office in the back of the bar, this was one hell of an office, complete with desk, laptop and a rather posh office chair. Emma quickly found Regina's calendar and rather shamelessly went through it. There were lots of business meetings, appointments at the town hall etc., but shockingly few social calls. Emma stopped when she reached a page marked with red. Across the page was written "four years". Just that. Nothing more. And to anyone else it would be one hell of a cryptic remark, but Emma quickly made the connection in her head. Regina had been marking the time since Henry took off on his own adventure. Emma looked at the page again. The words were slightly blurred. Had Regina been crying when she wrote that?

The answer was quite obvious. Yes, yes, she had. And most likely been crying alone as well. Hidden away, concealed from the rest of the town who had been oh so busy enjoying their "happy beginnings".

Emma immediately felt a stab of guilt. _How could I not have seen how unhappy she was_? _How could I have been so fucking blind all this time_?

The blonde had enough common sense to know that beating herself up about this now was completely ridiculous. But it was fucking hard not to when faced with the evidence. Emma continued to flip through the calendar. Obviously, there was a lot of blank spots from when they ventured back to the Enchanted Forest and ended up in Hyperion Heights, but on the same date as they returned home from Hyperion Heights, Emma found another evidence of Regina's state of mind at the time. A rather large stain on the page. Obviously, an old stain now, but Emma was pretty sure it was some sort of alcohol stain. And words scribbled on to the page. Not Regina's normal, neat handwriting, but sloppy and scrawled down in haste. Emma had to tilt her head in order to read the written words, which weren't many but very telltale:

" _I made a fucking mess of things. Again._ "

Drunk Regina's vocabulary clearly wasn't as refined, but the intention behind the words were clear. She blamed herself for what had happened. Not a word about Emma or her role in it.

The blonde flipped a few pages forward, searching for more "scribbled down in haste" entries. And she knew that that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but Regina wasn't very keen on talking about the weeks after returning home from Hyperion Heights, and this was the only way Emma could find out more.

But Regina's calendar was quite empty until…

Emma stopped at a date she remembered far too well. It was the day after they returned home with Henry and Lucy and Ella. The day Snow and David had thrown a welcome home party at Granny's. The night Regina had been drunk.

" _You can't have her_."

Emma's breath hitched in her throat. The writing wasn't sloppy or scrawled down in haste. It looked exactly like Regina's normal handwriting. And what's more, it looked like a daily reminder. _Remember to buy milk, bread, cereal, coffee, oh, and by the way, you can't have her_.

Emma browsed through the calendar. Only a few pages forward this time, and she found another "reminder".

" _She's not yours_."

Again, no sign of drunkenness. Just a plain, daily reminder.

 _Okay, this is torture_. Emma shut the calendar and stuffed it away in the drawer where she had found it. How the fuck did Regina _not_ break in the weeks they were apart?

Emma was in the process of shutting the drawer when something shiny caught her attention. She stuck a hand inside the drawer and grabbed the shiny object.

 _Oh_. It was her swan pendant. The old one that Regina had kept. It seemed like Emma had found it again. The blonde suddenly got the feeling that Regina had fiddled with the jewelry in her hand with each entry in the calendar.

Her phone buzzed and pulled Emma out of the realization. Slightly befuddled she read the newly arrived text:

" _Lunch in ten minutes_?"

Emma's face lit up in a smile. Regina.

" **Yeah sure. See you at Granny's.** "

" _I can hardly wait, miss Swan._ "

 _Me neither_. After the discovering Regina's little "entries" in the calendar, Emma could hardly wait to tell the brunette how much she loved her. And she didn't give a damn about how many people would overhear it.

 **To Be Continued?**

(( **So, what are you saying, guys? Meeting their baby girl or ending it here? This is turning into an awful long fanfic.))**


	48. Chapter 48

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 48:**

 _Oh, I am so not complaining about this_.

Nope, Emma had absolutely no problem about the current situation. In fact, of all the "situations" she could have been in, this was by far the most comfortable and delightful.

Light in the fireplace. Abandoned wine glasses on the table. Kicked off shoes on the floor.

And a delightfully breathless Regina on top of her, hands combing through blonde locks, and lips delicately pressing against her own.

 _Definitely not complaining_. Emma's hands wandered from Regina's back to her thighs instead. _God bless her for wearing a dress today_.

Regina made a breathy little sound in the back of her throat followed by a very raspy: ,, _Emma_ …"

Music. Lovely, breathtaking music. That was what that sound was. Pure music. Emma nibbled at the brunette's bottom lip, and Regina made another heavenly noise into her mouth.

 _To hell with this being the couch and not the bedroom_. Emma clasped her hands around the back of Regina's neck, pulling her down for yet another kiss.

That was when Regina muttered something incoherent.

,,What did you say?" Emma questioned as she reluctantly broke the kiss.

,,Need…Air," Regina gasped.

 _Oh_. Regina _did_ look rather breathless, and her chest was rising and falling quite fast.

,,Sorry," Emma said sheepishly and chuckled a little.

,,It's… fine," Regina assured, still gasping for air.

Emma chuckled again. Seeing Regina this flustered and so delightfully breathless was a rare treat, and she looked absolutely beautiful like this. So beautiful, and Emma didn't waste any time in telling her that.

Regina's cheeks heated up at that.

,,You sort of look like a horny teenager," Emma commented casually.

,, _Ex_ cuse me?!" Regina huffed.

,,You totally do," Emma chuckled and nudged Regina's shoulder as both women came up in a sitting position.

,,I feel terrible for saying it, but I sort of feel like one," Regina muttered and tucked her hair behind her ear.

She looked so vulnerable. Almost a bit _coy_ , despite their heated makeout session only seconds ago. _God, she's so adorable_. _Who would have thought_? Emma leaned in and kissed Regina's cheek.

,,We should celebrate moving in together more often," Emma quipped.

,,Agreed. I like this living together arrangement," Regina nodded and smiled.

,,How are we ever gonna be responsible parents for the kid?" Emma joked. ,,I seem to be thinking of one thing alone."

,,I'm sure you'll get over that, dear."

 _And Madam Mayor is back_. ,,Nu-uh," Emma assured. ,,Never. I'm not getting over you anytime soon. Maybe _under_ you, but definitely not over you."

,,And you claim my jokes are terrible."

,,They are," Emma deadpanned.

Regina smiled and shook her head. Clearly prepared to let Emma win that argument.

,,How's your air supply now?" Emma asked.

,,It seems fine."

,,Great. Can we please get back to celebrating then?" Emma suggested and grinned.

,,Well… since you ask so nicely," Regina smirked as she playfully pushed Emma back against the cushions.

And two seconds later she was back on top of a very satisfied blonde who thoroughly enjoyed the view.

It was Emma's turn to gasp as Regina's lips found her neck and kissed a pattern starting at her ear.

,,God, Regina."

,,Why the hell we waste so many years on arguing?" Regina murmured into her neck.

,,That is one hell of a good question," Emma replied and bit back a moan as Regina's lips travelled down.

 _Yeah, we should definitely have taken advantage of this insane chemistry years ago_.

Emma skimmed her fingers up and down Regina's back and gave the zipper on her dress a little, testing tug. No arguments from Regina. Was she giving Emma green light to proceed, or was she just too riled up to notice?

Emma gave the zipper another tug and revealed a tiny bit of Regina's skin, and now the brunette mock scowled as she said: ,,I'm a queen and a bit more refined, miss Swan. I'm not doing this on a couch."

,,Or against a wall."

,,Pardon?" Regina said, clearly not following.

,,You said that. Or, Roni said that. When we were in Seattle."

,,Oh right. And I meant it," Regina chuckled.

,,Upstairs then."

,,Giving orders now, miss Swan?"

,,Damn right I am," Emma said. ,,Upstairs. Now."

But before either of them made it upstairs, let alone moved from their current position, there was a knock on the front door. That threw Emma off completely, and she could feel how Regina also deflated and buried her head in the crook of her neck, muttering a frustrated: ,,Why?"

And that was a damn good question. Why choose this moment to come and visit them? Why right now, when they were otherwise engaged? Why indeed.

Emma was just about to suggest that they didn't answer, when there was another knock on the door.

Regina huffed as she scrambled off the couch, much to Emma's dismay and went into the hall.

Five seconds later, voices from the hall sent Emma off the couch as well, smoothening her hair and brushing lightly over her crumpled clothes. She congratulated herself with her quick reaction as she removed their kicked off shoes. God forbid her mother took this for exactly what it was.

,,Hi mom," she said as Snow ten seconds later was escorted into the living room by Regina, who miraculously looked as impeccable as always.

,,Hi, honey. I'm not intruding, am I?"

,,Of course you're not," Regina said before Emma opened her mouth. ,,Can I get you something to drink? Eat?"

,,No, I'm only staying for a second," Snow smiled. ,,I just wanted to deliver this little housewarming/ baby shower gift."

Emma tilted her head at the wrapped-up gift in her mother's hands. That was a very sweet gesture. She hadn't expected Snow to give them anything, given the surprise element in the adoption.

,,That was nice of you, mom," the blonde grinned. ,,What is it?"

,,Open it and find out," Snow encouraged and held the gift out toward both Emma and Regina.

,,Go ahead," Regina said and nodded towards the package.

,,Don't you want to…?" Emma questioned.

,,No, I want you to open it," Regina said calmly. ,,Go on."

,,Alright." Emma took the package from her mother and quickly tore the wrapping paper off. A surprised "oh" escaped her when she found out what was hiding inside.

It was a beautiful, pale pink baby blanket with tiny little rosebuds incorporated into the knitting.

,, _Mom_. It's beautiful," Emma gushed. ,,That must have taken ages to make."

,,It did, Granny was growing impatient with me at the end," Snow laughed. ,,But only the best for baby Mills."

,,Swan-Mills," Regina quietly corrected as she poured Snow a glass of wine.

,,What?" Emma said and gaped.

,,The baby should carry both our names," Regina shrugged. ,,It's not just my child, Emma. She's yours too. And Swan-Mills does have a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

,,It does," Emma agreed and struggled with the sudden tightness in her chest and the gigantic lump in her throat. _If I start blubbering now, then so help me god…_

,,Thank you, Snow. That was very thoughtful of you," Regina said, coming to Emma's rescue.

,,As I said, anything for the new little bundle of joy. And for you two," Snow gushed.

,,Well look who's getting sentimental," Regina observed, and Emma wasn't sure whether she was referring to Snow or herself.

,,Can you blame me?" Snow replied. ,,There's a whole lot of good things happening right now."

,,So there is," Regina agreed, and her eyes were suspiciously soft as she looked at Emma.

 _Oh hell no, she shouldn't look at me like that. Like I'm some pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. She's the pot of gold._

Snow took a sip of her wine and smiled.

,,Do you want some too, sweetheart?"

Emma blinked. ,,Are you talking to me?"

Regina rolled her eyes. ,,Of course I'm talking to you. Do you want some more wine?"

,,Uh.. sure." Emma did her best to pretend, but that pet name was warm liquid straight to her head. Regina hadn't called her "sweetheart" since Seattle.

,,I think your mother is about to burst from happiness," Regina commented as she poured herself and Emma another glass of wine.

Emma sniggered. Snow _was_ looking rather doe-eyed at them, clearly gushing with happiness.

,,Of course I am." Snow said plainly. ,,You are happy. I never would have foreseen this, but I couldn't be happier about it."

,,Happy that your confused daughter blundered into my bar one dark and stormy night?" Regina teased slyly. The sentimental moment was clearly over.

,,Yes, something like that," Snow nodded, completely unfazed by Regina's teasing.

Emma laughed.

Snow emptied her wine glass. ,,Thanks for the wine, Regina. I better get back before David gets worried."

,,Mmm, no reason to worry the prince," Regina agreed, completely flatly, causing Emma to chuckle again.

The blonde drank the rest of her wine and thanked her mother for the baby blanket again, and then she followed Snow out into the hall and gave her a big hug before the pixie haired woman left.

When she returned to the living room, she found Regina with her own glass of wine. The brunette smiled and shook her head a little. ,,Remind me to never give your mother her own key."

,,I couldn't agree more. That was a close one." Emma said. She would rather spend her life in a prison cell than having her mother walk in on her and Regina in a _situation_.

,,But that was very sweet of her," Regina continued and nodded towards the baby blanket. ,,She didn't have to do that, though."

,,I think she was just looking for an excuse to show how cool she is with this thing."

,,Thing?"

,,You and me."

,,Oh. That _thing_." Regina laughed.

,,Do you really want the baby to be named Swan-Mills?" Emma grinned.

,,Absolutely," Regina said firmly. ,,She's your daughter too."

,,My _daughter_. That is just... wow." Emma said, not being able to describe it in any other way.

,,Indeed. _Very_ wow." Regina chuckled and abandoned her wine glass in favor of wrapping her arms around Emma's waist.

,,We really ought to find a name for her," Emma reminded her partner.

,,Mmm." Regina said.

But clearly baby names weren't at the top of Regina's list right now. She skimmed her fingers up and down Emma's back in a way that more than suggested that she still was in a certain mood.

 _I suppose baby names can wait_. Emma quickly pulled the brunette closer and kissed her fiercely.

Regina instantly returned the kiss and then kissed Emma's cheek, inhaling the smell from her hair.

,,I'm crazy about you," she murmured into Emma's hair.

 _And clearly very horny_. But Emma didn't mind that one bit. She loved when the words spontaneously left Regina's lips like this. So uncontrolled and free.

,,And I'm pretty damn crazy about _you_ ," Emma assured and found Regina's neck with her lips.

,,Upstairs," Regina hissed.

And Emma didn't need to be told twice. She simply grabbed Regina's hand and more or less dragged her upstairs with her.

It turned out, that Emma found herself to be _over_ Regina, despite claiming the opposite. Regina had let her "run the show" so to speak, and Emma definitely wasn't complaining with being stretched out on top of Regina.

And even more surprising, the blonde hadn't had enough come next morning. Therefore, she didn't waste any time in waking Regina up with a kiss.

,,Now what?" Regina mumbled sleepily and returned the kiss.

,,I'm still crazy about you," Emma said plainly.

,,That's nice, but we have more important stuff to do today," Regina muttered.

,,Like what?" Emma teasingly challenged and kissed Regina's neck.

,,We're going to Boston tomorrow. We might need to plan that journey a little."

Emma deflated. ,,Right. You have a point there." she smirked. ,,And I don't think your lips can handle anymore."

,,What?" Regina frowned. ,,What do you mean?"

Emma quickly found a little mirror in one of their drawers and sniggered quite proudly as she handed the mirror to Regina.

The brunette scowled a little at the sight of her own, swollen lips. ,,I don't think it would be appropriate to leave the house like this."

,,Why not? I like it," Emma said innocently.

,,Of course you do," Regina rolled her eyes and waved her hand, reducing her lips to their normal size.

Emma pouted a little at that, and Regina laughed. ,,Come on, miss Swan. Let's get out of bed."

,,That's about the worst suggestion I've ever heard," Emma grumbled, but nevertheless got out of bed.

There really were a lot of things to think about. The nursery was done, but that was about it. There were so many things to pack, paper works to be filled out, the car needed to be filled with petrol etc...

,,I didn't realize that it was so difficult to adopt a kid," Emma said as she filled out yet another sheet of paper.

,,Neither did I," Regina admitted. ,,When I adopted Henry, Gold pulled some strings, this time it's being done the official way. The right way."

,,You chose an open adoption this time," Emma observed.

,,Yes. I'm not making the same mistake twice. The little girl will know where she comes from. No secrets."

Emma squeezed Regina's hand. ,,That sounds very sensible."

Regina smiled and squeezed back.

Emma continued to go through the papers. ,,Jesus Christ. The baby's mother died in childbirth."

,,I know," Regina frowned. ,,I'm guessing that's why the adoption agency contacted me so quickly after I applied."

,,Poor kid. I'm glad we're bringing her home."

,,So am I."

,,About those babynames…" Emma said once they finally were done filling out the paperworks.

,,I have about a million suggestions, and none of them works," Regina sighed and shook her head.

,,Why not?"

,,Too old fashioned. This is the modern world. Not the Enchanted Forest."

,,Oh. Can I hear one of them?"

,,I was thinking about Rose, but…"

,,What's the matter with that? That's a pretty name," Emma said.

Regina wrinkled her nose. ,,I'm not sure. Do _you_ have any suggestions?"

,,Not really. Maybe we'll know once we meet her."

,,That's a good strategy," Regina nodded and closed the one suitcase they were going to bring with them.

,,Don't forget the baby blanket," Emma reminded her.

,,Oh right," Regina smiled and quickly stuffed the blanket into the suitcase.

The rest of that day passed by rather busily with lots of last minutes things to check up on, and by the time they finally went to bed, Emma's head was spinning with new information.

Neither Emma nor Regina ate very much the following morning. None of them had any appetite. Regina looked considerably paler than she normally did, and she was also very quiet.

Emma's stomach was full of butterflies. And very active butterflies, that was. She feared she were gonna barf before they even started the journey to Boston.

,,Boston is a four hour drive. We should get going," Regina muttered after emptying her fourth cup of coffee.

,,Can you even drive?"

,,Excuse me?"

,,Aren't your hands gonna shake ridiculously?"

,,Are you criticizing my intake of coffee?"

,,A little," Emma admitted. ,,That much coffee isn't good for you."

,,It was either that or a cigarette," Regina retorted. ,,And those are _definitely_ not good for me."

,,Is it hard quitting?" Emma asked. She had never been addicted to nicotine.

,,You have no idea," Regina sighed. ,,But it wouldn't be the first time I've quit a nasty habit. I'll survive."

,,That would be preferable." Emma half-chuckled. ,,Are you ready to go?"

,,As ready as I'll ever be."

They stuffed the suitcase into the Mercedes, and both women climbed into the car.

,,Oh, right. We would like to keep our memories," Regina stated and waved a hand over the pearl necklace she was wearing.

,,What about me?" Emma questioned.

Regina smirked and made a come "hither motion" towards her.

Emma willingly leant closer. Any excuse to be close to Regina.

Regina quickly waved a hand over Emma's new swan necklace and smiled a little as the jewelry started glowing.

,,Don't take it off," the brunette instructed as she started the car.

,,Never." Emma assured and caught a glimpse of the smile on the brunette's lips, before her phone beeped. It was a text from Henry wishing them good luck and telling them how excited he was to meet his "baby sister".

 _Well this brings back memories_.

It really did. This wasn't the first road trip she had been on with Regina, but this one was considerably nicer than the previous one. Regina was all smiles and they chatted on about everything and nothing. Such a contrast from the previous road trip. At one point, Regina reached out to switch the radio on, but Emma caught her hand and stopped her.

,,Don't switch that on."

,,Don't you want to listen to the radio?" Regina asked.

,,No, I want to keep talking to you. The last time…" Emma trailed off. ,,Well, you were pretty quiet."

,,Understatement," Regina said calmly.

,,You gave "silent treatment" a whole new meaning."

,,And I never formally apologized for that, have I?" Regina frowned.

,,I don't need an apology. You had every reason to be angry."

,,I wasn't angry," Regina said and adjusted the mirror. ,,I was confused. That's a very different thing."

,,Okay, but you were definitely angry on the way back from Seattle," Emma countered.

,,No. Just even more confused than I was when we left," Regina said with a little laugh.

,,Right…"

,,Well, okay, I _was_ angry. But mostly at myself."

,,Why?"

,,Because I kissed you," Regina said plainly.

,,I think I kissed you first," Emma pointed out.

,,And I kissed back. Which seemed like a very bad idea at the time." Regina said rather dryly.

,,But it's not a bad idea now." Emma said and smiled a little.

,,No, it is not."

 **To Be Continued..**

(( **My dearest readers! Only two chapters left until the end! Again, thank you to everyone who reviews and favorites. It has been an honor to write this, and I'm overwhelmed by the response.))**


	49. Chapter 49

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 49:**

No, this "road trip" definitely wasn't like the last one.

Emma couldn't help but smile when she looked at Regina. The brunette looked completely relaxed. The haunted look in her eyes were gone and had been replaced with the most beautiful spark.

 _I'll do everything I can to make sure that spark never leaves her eyes again_.

Emma settled for making that silent promise to herself. She would never say it. Even in her own head it sounded awfully sentimental.

Regina's phone beeped, but seeing as she was driving, she was unable to check the message. ,,Do you mind checking what that is?" she asked Emma.

,,Sure." Emma quickly found the phone and chuckled a little. It was a photo from Zelena. Showing the former Wicked Witch snuggled up with Lady.

,,I think she's trying to steal our dog," Emma said and sniggered.

Regina quickly glanced at the picture and turned her attention back to the road. ,,Well, she can't have her."

,,Nah, that's our Ladybug."

,,"Ladybug"?" Regina echoed and raised an eyebrow. ,,That's not her name, miss Swan."

,,I've heard you call her that yourself," Emma accused.

Regina's eyebrow rose further. ,,When have I ever called her _that_?"

,,In Seattle," Emma said quickly and without blinking.

Regina sighed heavily. ,,Why is it that you can remember every little thing I said or did in Seattle?"

,,Because I have such a good memory," Emma teased. ,,And your bartender alter ego happens to be scored onto my heart forever."

,,Do you miss her?"

,,What?"

,,Roni. Do you miss her?" Regina asked plainly.

Emma quickly looked at Regina. She didn't look sad or anything, just curious.

,,I did." The blonde admitted. ,,At first. Before we got together. But now…"

,,Now?"

,,Not anymore. Because she's right here. As a part of you."

,,Who would have thought that there is actual benefits from being _cursed_?" Regina muttered, more to herself than to Emma.

,,Are you grateful for the curse?"

,,Grateful is a big word," Regina said and wrinkled her nose. ,,But we wouldn't be here without it, would we?"

,,No, we wouldn't."

They drove in silence for a while, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Not anymore. Emma offered to drive several times, but Regina just smiled and told her no, of course she could drive.

But Emma did see the brunette's hand wander towards her pocket every so often.

,,What are you searching for?" the blonde asked with a raised eyebrow, because she had a fairly qualified guess.

,,My cigarettes," Regina sighed and shook her head.

,,You can't have any," Emma gently reminded her.

,,I know. The urge gets stronger when I'm antsy. Damnit." Regina cursed, and Emma tilted her head and chuckled a little at the brunette's despair.

,,It's not funny," Regina groaned. ,,Have you never been addicted to something and then tried to quit it afterwards?"

,,Well…"

" _What's the rush, sweetheart_?"

" _Have we met before_?"

" _I don't think so. I doubt I would forget meeting you_."

" _I'm just happy._ "

" _So am I, miss Swan. People like you don't come out of thin air_."

" _I'm in love with you_."

" _Kiss me_."

" _Do you think we can actually do this, Emma_?"

" _What, sleep a full night_?"

" _No, silly. This. You and me._ "

" _Yeah. I really think we can_."

,,Actually yes," Emma finally said, as the million flashbacks subsided. ,,I have."

,,To what?" Regina asked curiously.

,,You," Emma admitted with a grin.

,,Me?" Regina blinked.

,,Yep. I really tried to quiet you, but here I am. Ridiculously in love with you and about to adopt a kid with you."

,,Ah." Regina smiled a little at that.

,,Trust me, you are a hell of a lot better than cigarettes. And I _have_ tried to smoke more than once."

,,And how did you manage to quit?"

,,I don't think I'm the right person to talk to about that," Emma grinned and gave Regina's knee a light squeeze. ,,I'm still an addict."

Regina didn't look mighty impressed by that.

When they finally reached Boston, they still had an hour or two to kill, so Regina parked the car near a cafeteria, and they went inside to have lunch.

It quickly turned out, that the "cafeteria" also happened to be a bar, and even though it wasn't very late, the bartender was already busy mixing drinks.

Emma watched as the redheaded bartender mixed and served the drinks to the customers.

,,You did it better," she told Regina.

,,Pardon?" Regina answered; she was completely fixated on her watch.

,,Made drinks. You did it better." Emma précised and nodded towards the bartender.

,,Oh." Regina sniggered. ,,Well, I _was_ rather good at that."

,,Can you still do it? Mix a drink?" Emma challenged with a little bubbly laugh.

,,Probably. A cursed life doesn't just go away like that." Regina said absentmindedly and looked at her watch again.

,,Don't be nervous. Everything will be fine," Emma insisted and took Regina's hand.

Regina didn't look convinced and muttered something about the million things that still could go wrong, and then she said a bit louder: ,,What I wouldn't _give_ for a cigarette right now."

,,And I really can't let you have one," Emma responded calmly. ,,It's not good for you. And you can't smoke every time you're nervous."

,,Well, what do you suggest then?" Regina half-snipped and stuffed the last bit of sandwich into her mouth.

,,You could talk to me?" Emma suggested.

And so she did. They talked about everything and nothing, and Regina mentioned that she had been exactly like this when she adopted Henry too. Afraid that something would go wrong. That the adoption would fall through at the last minute or something like that.

,,Have anyone ever told you that you worry too much?" Emma asked gently.

,,Your mother. On several occasions. I can't help it though, I'm a worrier."

,,Well, _I'm_ not." Emma said.

,,Another good reason to keep you around," Regina replied and flashed Emma another one of those smiles that made Emma's knees turn into to jelly.

,,Now kindly finish that _burger_ so we can get out of here. I would very much like to meet our daughter now," Regina said impatiently.

,,You are not the only one," Emma assured and scarfed as many bites of the burger down she could without choking.

,,Charming," Regina quipped and wrinkled her nose at the way Emma stuffed the food down her throat.

,,I do try my very best," Emma deadpanned.

,,You eat like a child."

,,Mhmm."

Emma was getting just as impatient as Regina, and she quickly finished the rest of her food.

The two women headed back to the car, and Regina once again sat behind the wheel. Neither of them spoke much as they headed towards an office in town. The place where they were gonna meet their daughter for the first time.

Emma felt how her stomach was twisting with nerves. This was actually happening. She was about to become a mother again. Was she even good at that? Did she know anything about taking care of an infant? Of course, she had those false memories about raising Henry, but false memories were hardly the same as real ones.

Suddenly, she understood why Regina longed after a cigarette. Emma found herself longing after _something_ to calm her nerves.

 _Shit. I thought I was on top of this_. _I thought I was completely calm_.

Well, apparently not. By the time they reached their destination, Emma's palms were sweaty, and her heart was beating ridiculously fast.

Regina was being awfully quiet too, as they entered the building, and she looked equally as sick as Emma felt.

 _Oh god, don't let me throw up right now_.

A smiling woman welcomed them inside. ,,Miss Mills and miss Swan?"

,,Yes, my name is Regina, and this is my partner, Emma," Regina said calmly and shook hands with the woman.

 _Her partner. Well, if my heart wasn't beating fast before_.

,,Nice to meet you, Emma," the woman said and shook Emma's hand. ,,If you would like to take a seat, I'll bring your daughter over in a minute."

Emma and Regina did as instructed, and the woman disappeared out of the door.

,,I feel like puking," Emma said plainly.

,,Please don't," Regina frowned. ,,I really can't deal with that right now."

,,Don't worry. I won't."

,,Good."

,,I'm just ridiculously nervous," Emma admitted.

,,Mm. Must be something in the water," Regina said and clearly attempted to make a joke to diffuse the tension a little.

And Emma really appreciated the attempt. It even made her giggle a little, and Regina raised an amused eyebrow at the sound. ,,What was that?"

,,Nothing." Emma dismissed and blushed.

,,Did you just _giggle_ , miss Swan?"

,,Nu-uh. Absolutely not," Emma quickly dismissed.

,,I think you _did_ ," Regina accused softly.

,,Did not."

,,And you should definitely do it more often," Regina continued without paying attention to Emma's attempts at denying.

Emma immediately made a mental note to herself about not feeling embarrassed about giggling.

After a few minutes, Regina's foot started tapping against the floor, and Emma fiddled with her hands until her phone buzzed and she was forced to check the message.

,,It's Mary Margaret." She told Regina.

,,And what does she want?"

,,Pictures of "baby Swan-Mills"." Emma grinned.

,,Oh. Well, tell her that we haven't had the pleasure of meeting her yet."

Emma sniggered a little as she tapped those exact words in.

,,Is it just me, or is this taking an awfully long time?" Regina said after a moment of silence. ,,We've waited for almost five minutes."

,,And that's not very long," Emma dryly remarked.

,,Well, it _feels_ like it is," Regina muttered impatiently and kept her gaze fixated on the door.

Emma felt her stomach tie in knots once more. What if something was actually wrong? What if the paper works had been muddled up, or they somehow had managed to track down an unknown relative who suddenly wanted the little girl? Regina's words kept echoing in her head. " _There's still about a million things that could go wrong_."

Emma was in the process of driving herself insane when the door suddenly opened, and the woman who had greeted them entered the room along with another woman. But it wasn't the two women that made Emma's heart beat violent in her chest.

It was the tiny baby girl in the younger woman's arms.

 _That's our daughter_. _She's right there_. _I can't believe this is real_.

And Emma felt how Regina squeezed her hand tightly.

,,There's just one more form for you two to sign, and then she's all yours. Congratulations." The older woman smiled and presented them with another sheet of paper.

Emma silently thanked higher authorities for the fact that she was able to stand from the chair and walk over to the desk and sign the paper.

,,Do you want to meet your daughter, miss Swan?" the other woman asked and stretched the little, wriggling bundle out towards Emma.

,,I…" _Shit. Shouldn't Regina be the first one to hold her or something like that_?

But Regina was currently busy signing the rest of the papers.

,,Take her," the woman gently encouraged. ,,She's yours."

 _Mine_. Quite possibly the most beautiful word in the world. Emma stretched her arms out, and the woman, Miss Sanders, her nametag said, placed the tiny girl in Emma's arms.

The baby opened her eyes and looked up at Emma. The girl was frowning a little, and it almost looked like she was asking Emma who she was.

,,Hello there, kiddo." Emma said gently and stroked the baby's cheek. ,,I'm your mom. Can you live with that?"

The baby made a "guhh" sound.

,,I think that was a yes," Regina commented as she came over to them and drank in the image of their daughter.

,,She's _beautiful_ ," Emma whispered almost a bit dazed. She felt like her heart had grown a size or two. She had known the little tyke for less than a minute, and she already loved her completely and with all her heart. And with absolutely no reservation what so ever.

,,That she is," Regina agreed and looked equally as besotted as Emma.

,,You should hold her," Emma said quickly and gently placed the little girl in Regina's waiting arms.

It was as time had stopped in the office. When Regina held her daughter for the first time, it was as a new sense of peace washed over her face and deleted every last bit of tension.

 _God, I really want to take a picture of this. This is too damn beautiful_.

And it was. The smile that blossomed on Regina's face, was really something else, but it wasn't just that that made Emma's heart stop a little. It was how much at peace she looked. So completely contend.

,,Congratulations," miss Sanderson smiled

,,Thank you," Emma said for both of them. Regina didn't look like she was in a position to speak right now. Her gaze was still fixated on their baby girl and she whispered to the baby.

Emma put a hand on Regina's shoulder. ,,We should get going. We have a long journey home."

,,Where are you from?" the older woman asked curiously.

,,Storybrooke," Regina said without taking her eyes off the baby.

,,Storybrooke?" the woman repeated. ,,Where's that, exactly?"

,,Maine." Emma said.

,,Oh. I've never heard of that."

,,No, not many people have." Regina said. ,,It's sort of.. tucked away. A very small town. You wouldn't find it on any map."

Emma choked a laugh.

,,And you're right," Regina continued. ,,We should get going."

They thanked both women and headed towards the door.

,,Wait!" miss Sanderson exclaimed when they were about to leave the office. ,,I almost forgot," she said and reached into her pocket and handed Emma a letter.

,,What's that?"

,,It's a letter from the birth mother. I was hoping you would read it to the little girl when she's older."

,,Of course." Regina said.

,,Was she sick? The birth mother?" Emma asked. She could sense as much judging by the letter.

,,Yes, yes she was. Even before she was expecting. She knew that giving birth could kill her, but she went through with it anyway."

,,She was brave," Emma said gently.

Miss Sanderson nodded. ,,One of the bravest people I have ever met. She would do everything for Vero-…" the young woman trailed off and looked at her hands.

,,Did she have a name for her?" Regina encouraged, unbothered by the woman's silence.

Miss Sanderson nodded.

,,Tell us then," Emma said. ,,We haven't decided on anything yet."

,,Veronica." Miss Sanderson said quietly. ,,She wanted to name her Veronica."

Emma's jaw dropped a little at that. Veronica. Ve-ro-ni-ca. Ve _roni_ ca.

 _Nothing is accidential_.

Regina looked completely shocked. More shocked than Emma felt, and the blonde didn't understand why. Veronica wasn't that bad, was it?

But the brunette didn't seem keen on sharing her thoughts right now, and she shook hands with both miss Sanderson and the elderly woman. Emma thanked them both, and then both women left the office.

,,Do you want me to drive?" Emma asked as they headed towards the car.

,,No, I trust you to take care of our daughter," Regina chuckled and handed Emma their little pink bundle of joy.

,,Of course," Emma babbled to the baby as she entered the car. ,,We can handle a four hour drive home, can't we, my darling?"

Regina smiled widely and whipped out her phone. Before Emma had a chance to argue, the brunette had snapped a picture of the blonde and their daughter.

,,Sending this to your mother and our son right… now," Regina grinned.

Emma rolled her eyes as Regina started the car, but she didn't argue. She was not in the mood for arguing right now. Not when she was holding the most beautiful baby in the world. And she was all theirs. No one would ever come and take her away from them. She was really theirs.

,,I think I have found someone new to be addicted to," Emma half-whispered. The baby girl had stopped wriggling and looked like she was on the verge of falling asleep in Emma's arms.

,,She's beautiful," Regina smiled. ,,You both are."

,,Are you going mushy, madam mayor?" Emma teased.

,,Yes, absolutely." Regina shrugged as they reached the main road.

,,Do you think we have a little Veronica on our hands?" Emma asked, testing the waters.

Regina laughed a little and shook her head as she said: ,,Aint fate a funny one."

,,What do you mean?"

,,That was _my_ name."

,,Not following," Emma frowned and adjusted the sleeping baby in her arms.

,,In Hyperion Heights. My full name was Veronica."

,,No way," Emma's jaw dropped again. ,,You never told me that."

,,Because I- or, _Roni_ despised it. She preferred the nickname and never used her full name." Regina said and glanced at the tiny girl in Emma's arms.

,,Do _you_ despise it?" Emma asked.

,,No, I find it to be rather pretty," Regina admitted. ,,But isn't it a bit strange to name her that, I mean…"

,,Absolutely not," Emma interrupted. ,,Just look at her, Regina. She _is_ Veronica."

Regina tilted her head and looked at the baby again. ,,Veronica Swan-Mills. Hmm.."

,,Admit it. It sounds awesome," Emma grinned.

,,You're right. It does." Regina surrendered.

,,Does that mean we have a name for her?" Emma said and smiled widely.

,,It would seem so, dear."

,,Did you hear that, baby girl? You have a name now. Would you like to be called Veronica, hmm? How does that sound, 'Ronica?"

Regina raised an eyebrow. ,,I would appreciate if you didn't give her any nicknames."

,,Does that mean I can't call her "Roni"?" Emma said with feigned sadness, hoping she wasn't pushing Regina too far.

But Regina simply started laughing. ,,Please don't."

 **To Be Continued..**

 **((Wow, almost closing time, guys. Next chapter is the last chapter.))**


	50. Chapter 50

**Feather of a Swan**

 **Chapter 50:**

For some reason, the trip back to Storybrooke seemed to much shorter.

Veronica slept for most of the ride, but twenty minutes before they reached Storybrooke, the girl woke up. She didn't cry or fuss, simply looked around like she was fascinated by the new surroundings.

And Emma was completely in love with the little girl already. Who knew it was possible to fall in love that quickly? One look at the tiny girl, and bam, Emma was done for.

Regina looked at Emma and Veronica every so often, and Emma found new meaning to the word "family."

,,Damnit," Regina muttered and brought Emma out of her trance like state.

,,What?" Emma asked and tore her gaze away from Veronica.

,,My phone. _Again_. Do mind...?"

,,Sure," Emma said and quickly retrieved the brunette's phone from one of her pockets.

,,Who is it this time? Henry or Snow?"

,,It's Lucy," Emma grinned. Several members of their entire extended family had been texting them consistently throughout their little journey, asking about the baby.

,,Tell her we'll be home in twenty minutes."

,,I will. Tell you what, kid. Your family will kidnap you as soon as they see you," Emma dead-seriously told Veronica.

,,Let's hope not," Regina frowned. ,,Our children _do_ have a bad record of getting kidnapped."

Emma had only meant it as a joke, but she could see what Regina meant. ,,No one is gonna take her," the blonde assured and squeezed Regina's hand. ,,I doubt there's any more villains left out there."

,,Don't jinx it," Regina muttered. ,,There's _always_ another villain out there."

,,Not if I can help it." Emma said firmly. Her maternal instinct had woken up anew, and she was ready to take any potential villain down.

,,Careful," Regina half-chuckled. ,,You look a bit like me on my bad days."

,,Did you just make an evil queen joke?" Emma teased, and Veronica gurgled.

,,Maybe."

And then Emma's phone beeped. This time it was David. _Again_. And the way he referred to Veronica as his granddaughter, made Emma's heart swell a little.

,,I think you are the most awaited baby in human history, Ronica," Emma chuckled to the baby.

,,Again with the nickname," Regina warned. ,,At one point, someone is going to overhear it, and mistake it for "Roni"."

Emma shrugged. ,,Would that be so terrible?"

,,She's a baby, miss Swan. Not a bartender with a questionable accent and a fondness for cigarettes."

,,And a knockout fashion sense," Emma deadpanned.

,,Shut up."

Emma chuckled. Regina Mills, queen of sass and witty comebacks had been reduced to "shut up". That was a bit funny.

Veronica seemed to agree, for the baby gurgled again and Emma ran her finger through her thin baby hair. Her hair was light, but not as light as other babies' hair was at that age. Emma suspected that their daughter would grow up to be a brunette.

,,Do you think her eyes will stay blue?" Emma asked Regina.

,,Hmm. Difficult to say. Maybe. But it said in the papers, that her mother had green eyes, so maybe..." Regina didn't finish the sentence, and she didn't have to. Emma already knew what she was thinking. If Veronica grew up to be a brunette with green eyes, she would look an awfully lot like both of them. Emma really liked that idea. Really, _really_ liked it.

,,Storybrooke in five minutes," Regina announced and smiled.

,,Almost home," Emma told the sleepy bundle in her arms. ,,I think there are quite a few people who are eager to meet you."

Veronica gurgled sleepily, and Regina chuckled. ,,Fascinating comeback, darling."

And just a few minutes later, the Mercedes crossed the town line, and Emma felt a flash of warmth as her magic returned.

,,All good?" Regina asked.

,,Yeah."

,,Do you remember who you are?"

,,Yep."

,,Do you remember who _I_ am?" Regina teased.

,,The love of my life," Emma said plainly and adjusted Veronica in her arms.

Regina rolled her eyes, but didn't protest, and Emma was sure she saw a little smile.

They drove through town, and after a little discussion, they decided to head home at first and get Veronica settled in, unpack and stuff like that.

,,The "presentation" can wait a little longer," Regina quipped.

,,What, we're going to hold her out from a cliff and make half of Storybrooke praise her?"

,,The praising part sounds fine, but mention our daughter and cliff in the same sentence again, and I _will_ do something terrible," Regina threatened.

,,I'm trembling, Madam Mayor," Emma sniggered.

,,Don't underestimate me, miss Swan," Regina said silkily as they pulled up in front of the mansion.

,,That's not working anymore, sorry."

,,No?"

,,Nope," Emma grinned. ,,I don't find that one bit intimidating anymore. I find it seductive."

,,Shame on you," Regina said calmly, and clearly that had been her intention all along.

That only made Emma's grin widen and the blonde nudged Regina as they excited the car and walked up to the mansion. None of them wasted time with their baggage, Regina simply snapped her finger, sending their bags away in swirl of purple magic.

,,Home sweet home," Emma told the sleeping Veronica.

,,Can I..?" Regina asked and gestured towards the baby in Emma's arms.

,,Regina, she's also _your_ daughter," Emma laughed as she handed the baby to Regina. ,,You don't have to _ask_."

,,Point there. Hello there, baby girl. What do you think of your new home so far, hmm? Can you be happy here?"

,,Of course she can," Emma said and wrapped an arm around the brunette. Seeing Regina with Veronica, made the blonde soft in ways she had never imagined. It was indescribable. Nothing would ever be more beautiful than this sight.

And Emma actually had to look away when Regina kissed Veronica's cheek.

 _This. This is my family_.

,,You okay?" Regina asked and put a hand on Emma's shoulder.

,,Mmm. Better than okay."

,,Just a little overwhelmed?" Regina said gently. ,,Because that's perfectly fine."

,,No, I'm alright," Emma assured and lied a tiny bit. Because she couldn't quite find the words to tell Regina just how much this meant to her, and how she had found something she didn't even knew she was missing in the first place.

,,What do you say, quick nap for Veronica and then a surprise visit to Granny's?"

,,That sounds great," Emma nodded. ,,Let's get her upstairs."

And so they did. But there was a surprise waiting for them in the nursery, and Emma's jaw dropped when she spotted it.

,,What the hell?"

,,No profanity when our daughter is present," Regina scowled.

,,Sorry. But seriously?! Who did this?" Emma wondered loudly and looked at all the pink, helium filled balloons saying "it's a girl!" floating in the nursery.

,,I suspect your mother," Regina said dryly.

,,You think so?"

,,She was a bandit for several years. She wouldn't get stopped by something as trivial as a locked door," Regina drawled as they put Veronica down in the crib.

,,This is a bit extreme," Emma observed and poked one of the pink balloons. It didn't deflate in the slightest.

Veronica didn't seem to agree with her mother's statement and tilted her little head as she looked at the floating object above her.

,,I think our daughter like them though," Regina commented. ,,All the more reason to just let them be."

,,They'll probably deflate in a couple of days anyway."

,,Exactly."

Veronica yawned, (probably one of the most adorable things Emma ever had seen) and then the little girl fell asleep.

,,Our cue to leave I guess," Emma said.

Regina nodded, but didn't seem too keen on leaving their baby just yet, so for a moment or two, neither women left the nursery.

 _I'm never gonna get tired of this_.

But Emma knew that Veronica would be just as fine sleeping alone, and honestly, Regina looked like she could need to sit down for a moment.

,,Come on," the blonde gently insisted.

Regina didn't react.

,,Regina, come on," Emma said again and gave the brunette a little nudge. ,,She's still here when we come back."

Regina nodded but only reluctantly left the nursery.

They headed downstairs again, and ended up on the couch. Regina leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

,,Tired?" Emma asked and took her hand.

,,Mmm," Regina said and appeared to suppress a yawn. ,,It has been a long day."

,,A very long day," Emma agreed. ,,Probably the longest in my life."

,,Mm," Regina said again, and this time she actually yawned.

,,You know, the world wouldn't stop if you took a nap."

,,I don't need one," Regina denied.

Five seconds later or so, her head lolled back as she fell asleep.

,,Of course you don't," Emma half-chuckled and moved a little so Regina could have some space.

That only resulted in Regina ending up with her head in Emma's lap, and the blonde briefly froze before she relaxed once more. If this was comfortable enough for Regina, then it was comfortable enough for her. In fact, it was more than comfortable. Of all the positions Regina could have slept in, this was definitely Emma's new favorite. The brunette looked so small when she was asleep, and this gave Emma the perfect opportunity to stroke Regina's hair without any interruptions or scowls about being silly.

This was highly somnolent, and maybe she should try to get some sleep herself. There probably would be a lot of sleepless nights now that Veronica was here, and who knew, maybe this was Emma's last opportunity to get some uninterrupted sleep.

Regina mumbled something in her sleep. She actually did that a lot. Emma would never have guessed that Regina was prone to talk in her sleep, but more than once, the blonde had been woken up in the dead of night by Regina who was saying something in her sleep. And sometimes, Emma didn't understand what she was saying, and she kept forgetting to ask Regina about the language she was sometimes speaking in her sleep. Because it definitely wasn't English. Kinda sounded like Spanish, but not quite. Either way, it sounded absolutely beautiful. A bit like foreign music.

Emma leaned her head back and closed her eyes. This was nice. More than nice. This was what _peace_ felt like. Actual peace. Not just those rare moment she had experienced when there wasn't a villain around.

The blonde's thoughts soon slipped into the most pleasant of dreams as exhaustion swept her into dreamland.

When she woke up again it was to the sound cooing near her ear. Emma slowly opened her eyes, a bit disorientated at first, but then she saw Regina sitting in the couch with Veronica in her arms. Both mother and daughter seemed to enjoy this little moment.

,,Look at that, my darling," Regina cooed. ,,I do believe your mother is awake."

,,Barely," Emma joked as she came into a sitting position. ,,How long has she been awake? _How much have I missed_?

,,Only for five minutes or so," Regina said and chuckled warmly as Veronica grabbed her finger.

,,Well, she definitely got more beautiful while I was asleep," Emma quipped and tickled Veronica's tiny little foot. The baby squirmed and cooed at that.

A knock on the door interrupted their little moment, and Emma jumped to her feet.

,,Five bucks that's your mother," Regina joked.

But it wasn't. It was Henry, and he was grinning broadly as Emma opened the door.

,,So? Where is she?" he said with no further greeting.

,,Couldn't wait any longer, could you, kid?" Emma chuckled.

,,Nope," Henry grinned back. ,,I want to meet my sister."

And then he shuffled past Emma and walked straight into the living room where Veronica was cooing once more.

When Emma caught up with her son, Henry was already holding his brand-new sister. And fawning adorably over her.

Emma shared a look with Regina. Henry was already done for. Completely taken in by his little sister.

,,What's her name?" Henry asked, never taking his eyes off the baby.

,,Veronica," Emma and Regina both said in unison.

,,Veronica Swan-Mills, your grandmother is gonna go _nuts_ ," Henry solemnly told the baby, and Emma chuckled. She could vividly picture her mother's reaction to the baby. Mary Margaret would most likely gush even more than Henry was doing right now.

,,She's a knockout," Henry grinned widely and shifted Veronica in his arms. ,,I'm keeping her."

,,I'm sure Lucy would be delighted to hear that," Regina said dryly and went into the kitchen to fetch a bottle for Veronica.

,,Are you kidding me, Lucy would never let go of her again," Henry laughed.

,,So I take it you like your new sister, kid?" Emma chuckled.

,,I love her," Henry said firmly.

 _Just like that. No hesitation whatsoever_. Emma's heart swelled again. Henry had handled all of this so well. And not once had he found it weird that his mothers had fallen in love.

,,You look happy," Henry observed and smiled at Emma.

,,And I am, kid. I really am." Emma said, and truer words had never come out of her mouth.

,,Mom not too hard on you?" Henry teased.

,,I heard that," Regina scowled as she emerged from the kitchen.

,,Woops." Henry chuckled.

,,Don't make me ground you," Regina deadpanned and snatched Veronica from his arms.

Veronica cooed.

,,Do I need to ground you too, sweetheart?" Regina drawled, as she fed Veronica the bottle.

Emma sniggered.

,,Rude," Regina said and shot the blonde a mocking look.

This time both Henry and Emma laughed, and Regina didn't look one bit amused by that.

,,Glad I'm such a big source of amusement to you two," the brunette scowled as she continued to feed Veronica.

Emma chuckled again.

,,You are lucky I love you," Regina muttered and wiped Veronica's chin.

And that little statement honestly made Emma ridiculously happy. Regina wasn't very keen on public declarations of love, so just casually saying it in front of their son was something big. Or possibly just a slip up on Regina's behalf. One could never know.

,,Are you two ever gonna show the little wonder?" Henry asked and gestured to Veronica. ,,Grandma has been on edge since you left."

,,Well, maybe we should end her sufferings, then," Regina smirked. ,,Feel like going to Granny's, miss Swan?"

,,Yep. I'm starving," Emma grinned. ,,What about you, kid? Wanna come?"

,,Sure. I left Lucy there anyway." Henry replied.

So Emma took Veronica while Regina put on her coat, and the baby cooed softly. Emma couldn't help but smile at the sound. ,,Hi there, little bird. Are you getting sleepy again?"

Very appropriately, Veronica yawned, and her little face twisted.

,,All set?" Emma asked when Regina returned with the newly bought car seat for Veronica.

,,Mhmm."

Emma bundled Veronica up in the baby blanket, and then she placed the baby in the car seat. And the blonde felt quite triumphant when she managed to buckle the little seatbelt in the first attempt.

,,Mommy's awesome," she told the baby, and now Regina was the one who was chuckling.

The little family headed to the diner, Henry went a bit ahead of them, and Regina was about to hand the car seat with Veronica to Emma, so she could use her hands to push the door open.

But Emma beat her to it and quickly stepped in front of her to open the door.

,,Very gallant, miss Swan. Thank you."

,,I'm basically your wife."

It just slipped out of her, and Emma didn't realize what she had said until five seconds _after_ the words had left her mouth.

 _Wait, what the hell did I just say_?! _Nice. Good one, Swan_.

,,I'll pretend I didn't hear you say that," Regina muttered, and after giving Snow a quick look: ,,And I'll pretend your mother didn't hear that either."

Emma just nodded awkwardly.

Regina handed the car seat with Veronica to Emma. ,,Excuse me for a second," and then the brunette went into the bathroom, leaving the introduction of Veronica to Emma.

The blonde went over to the table where her mother was already sitting, partly waiting for her husband who was fetching cocoa, and for Emma.

The pixie haired woman grinned broadly at the sight of the sleeping Veronica in the car seat. ,,So, can I meet my granddaughter now?"

,,Sure," Emma said and quickly unbuckled Veronica, scooped her up and then placed her in Snow's waiting arms.

,,Oh, she's beautiful," Snow gushed and rocked Veronica in her arms. ,, _So_ beautiful. What's her name?"

,,Veronica," Emma announced proudly.

,,Suits her perfectly," Snow said, and Emma could see it immediately. She was bewitched by Veronica already. And quite the easy target.

,,So…" Snow said and lowered her voice as Veronica quietly went back to sleep in her arms.

,,Yeah?"

,,"I'm basically your wife?" the pixie haired woman echoed and raised an eyebrow.

,,Oh." Emma blushed a little and cursed her ridiculous slip-up. ,,It just kinda.. slipped out."

,,I see. So there's nothing you want to tell me?" Snow asked plainly and brushed a little curl out of Veronica's face.

,,Definitely not," Emma said. ,,Absolutely not."

,,Right."

The tone more than suggested that her mother didn't believe her one bit, but Snow didn't get the chance to probe further. David returned to the table with two cups of cocoa, and he demanded to hold his brand-new granddaughter.

So Veronica changed hands, and Snow melted away at the sight of her husband holding a baby, and Emma really didn't want to know what her mother was thinking right now.

Veronica's name "got the stamp of approval" from David, and he announced that she was the most beautiful baby he had ever seen. Apart from Emma, of course.

Regina returned to the table just in time to witness Lucy asking to hold the baby.

,,Of course you can," Regina smiled. ,,Just be careful with her head."

,,I will," Lucy assured and David placed the baby in her arms.

,,She's so cute," Lucy beamed. ,,What's her name?"

,,Veronica," Emma said.

,,Ve _roni_ ca?" Lucy asked, completely understanding the "hidden" meaning behind the baby's name.

,,No, just Veronica," Regina corrected with a smile. ,,But you can call her Ronica for short."

Lucy only reluctantly gave Veronica back to Regina, and then the young girl looked up at her dad. ,,I want a sister."

,,Uh…" Henry said and rubbed the back of his neck. ,,I think you should ask your mom about that, kid."

,,Fine. I will," Lucy said firmly.

Emma bursted out laughing, but Regina turned her gaze to the ceiling. ,,I'll pretend I didn't hear that either."

,,There's nothing wrong with expanding the family," Emma sniggered and nudged Regina.

,,No. As long as I don't hear anything about it," Regina deadpanned.

,,Sorry, mom," Henry chuckled.

Emma couldn't help but laugh as Henry and Lucy disappeared over to nearby table.

,,This is really the night for strange information's," Regina observed.

 _Strange_. Not "unwanted". Was that a teeny tiny hint, or was Emma overanalyzing again?

The blonde wrapped an arm around Regina who shifted Veronica in her arms and smiled at Emma.

Emma sighed. This was definitely the calm after the storm. After everything they had been through, after everything that had happened, every last fight between them, here they were. Together with their daughter. With Veronica who had been meant for them all along.

Regina squeezed her hand, and Emma was grateful for this moment. This moment of completely peace. All the important questions could wait until another time. There would be plenty of time to think about the future. Lots of opportunities to make life changing decisions.

But not right now, though. Right now, Emma was grateful for just being here, with Regina and Veronica, enjoying a quiet cup of cocoa at the diner before heading home after a long day.

Tomorrow would be a new day, and Emma could hardly wait.

 **The End.**

 **((Gasp! This is where it all ends. With Emma, Regina and baby Veronica to tie them together. Again, thank you so much to all the people who have followed, favorited and reviewed. I've read every last comment, and it means the world to me. Thank you so much for liking this humble fic, I've had a blast writing it.))**


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